Be Ready
by bluetreeleaves
Summary: AU V/H Rated T for violence. Rating subject to change - Past destroyed bred Present full of lies. United, Past and Present will change the Future. For the better, or for worse? That destiny lies in the hands two souls: one misplaced and one fervently searching for the truth.
1. Prologue - The Boy or The Man

**That's right, folks. **

**A new mini-story has leaped from the recesses of my unrestrained imagination and broken forth unto the internet like a flapping dove. Time will only tell if I can get my butt back into gear with my other stories. But at least I've proven I did do stuff during the Holidays... just maybe not the stuff everyone wanted to read. It's getting typed on, but... you know. Overactive imaginations, am I right?**

**The chapter after this prologue is already finished and being edited. I'm expecting this story to be about the size of Racing for Freedom. If you haven't read that one, I would go ahead and click on that, too. This one will be as fast as that one. Answers will fly to you like... oh, crap, I already used the flapping dove imagery, didn't I? Anyways, I've got a bit more typed on my other story everyone is waiting on, but my brain is like, "Noooope, you are going to do this and it will be awesome and you will enjoy it, so have fun." Oh, and did I mention I wrote this while throwing up on Christmas from a stomach bug? Now THAT is dedication.**

**So, without further declaration of my feeble excuses on not having updates for my other works, please enjoy while I shoot myself in the foot.**

* * *

Ripping off the cumbersome navy robes, his trembling hands worked the belts and various leather loops that strapped the overweight armor on his lanky body. Shedding the breast-plate, it clanged on the stone ground among the many footfalls running towards the guard towers. Numerous sentries had sprung into action, already dressed respectfully for combat for the crowning of the king. The five legions stationed on the outskirts of the country's wall were beginning to signal alarms right and left from the lookout stations.

He stood panting for several heartbeats.

His mind tried to acknowledge what was happening.

Finally, he saw one of his commanders rushing past.

"General Trucer, what is happening?" His throat cracked lightly in his adolescent throat, yet somehow traveled through the growing screams to the older man's ears. The new king noticed that the man grasped a heavy-weight lancer.

The one used to bring down enemy Guymelefs.

"A surprise attack, Majesty!" The general's face was covered with sweat. He grabbed the boy king's shoulder roughly and shoved him further into the shadow of the Winged Palace. "The Elders have commanded to ready the Guymelef units. You must retreat to the haven."

"Surprise attack? From whom?" His heart raced as yet another explosion of fire burst from the wall of his father's country.

Now his country…

Fanelia…

The boy's gloved hand clenched on the navy blue pommel of his father's heavy sword. In his other palm, a pink heart pulsed weakly.

The general was busy barking orders as men geared into the pilot uniforms. "Scramble the units! Repel the attackers!" To the boy, Trucer roared, "Get to the Palace and escape through the western tunnel, Majesty! We will hold off the bastards!"

And then Trucer was gone, running through the growing haze of flames; his lancer raced, posed to strike.

His boy king's eyes were burning terribly and he swallowed down the thick coat of fear that laced his stomach into knots. Gritting his teeth together, the sword and pink stone in his hands trembled with the anger that melted his fear away. The boy twisted, putting his back to the bellowing fires and screams of his dying people. He ran as fast as his ceremonial armor would allow him to; into the marble entryway lined with white statues. He skidded slightly on the woven carpet; his mahogany eyes dancing from right to left.

His pathway had branched to a crossroad.

A decision had to be made.

Despite his looks, he hadn't been a boy for a very long time. The day Folken left for his dragon ritual and failed to return was the day he graduated from childish thoughts of hiding in fear. And now, only a few short years later, he had thought he'd finally broken free from the stereotypical weakness everyone latch onto him because of his youth. He had thought he'd transcended into manhood at last. Trucer didn't seem to realize. Today, just a few minutes ago, Van Slanzar de Fanel had become the new King of Fanelia, the seventy-fourth of his family to reign.

Taking a deep breath and squaring his thin shoulders, the young man plunged bravely to the right and crossed a long hall of hanging tapestries. The raucous blasts and shrieks from outside made him push his feet faster, stretch longer. Already ashy smoke from the raging fires in his city were beginning to waver into long glorious windows near the ceiling of his castle.

His castle now. The Winged Palace was _his._

He had to make it to the tunnel leading to the Cage.

He had to make it to the Chapellieur al' Dragoon.

He had to awaken the Escaflowne.

* * *

**What? Bluetreeleaves is writing something that is actually sounding like Escaflowne canon? How can this be? lol. Just trust me.**

**Also, most of you will probably be wondering where Hitomi is at this point. That will be answered in the next chapter, which is coming up... now! (You're welcome)**

**blue...**


	2. Chapter 1 - The Girl with the Journal

**Well, ain't this grand? I've already got the next chapter out to you. I'm the best, aren't I? Just the most greatest fiction author ever. **

**I'm expecting to get fruit tossed at me from Rutilus fans. No worries. The update is coming. This one is pretty dang fun though. My brain really does know how to have a good time in imagination land. **

**Questions on the plot? Predictions on what will come? Completely lost on what exactly you just read? See me at the bottom of this.**

* * *

Opening the heavy wooden door from her hotel room to the hallway, Hitomi let out a small breath into the chilly morning air. Wrapping her jacket over her chest tightly, she took a step out of the doorway and smiled softly to herself. The long hallway's small hanging lamps let out ample amounts of light for a comfortably bright and cheerful glow to illuminate each piece of art with perfect flair. Letting her green eyes roll slowly up and down, she studied the innumerable amount of small and large paintings lining from floor to ceiling.

"Will you move out-of-the-way?" Yukari's bossy voice dragged her back from her mental revelry. Hitomi rolled her eyes furtively before side-stepping into a mock curtsey to her friend.

"After you, _princess_."

Yukari reached out to pat Hitomi's head. "Good girl. You forgot your precious journal, by the way. What would you do without me?"

Taking the offered yellow backpack, the short-haired girl let her gaze travel back to the wonderful decorations around her. Various paintings – with a thick mixture of both realistic and exotic abstract – depicted the extinct dragons that used to roam this area centuries ago. Three right beside her were of the double moons that could be seen in the night sky. Several others proudly shinned with a variety of mechanical beings in different poses. Zeroing in on a black and white sketch four steps down, she squinted at the tiny cursive writing that labeled each part of the Guymelef. Leaning close, she frowned thoughtfully and made a mental note to take a picture of the drawing later.

Ancient Fanelian writing was hard to translate without her books. It'd take a while, but this was obviously a priceless antique.

"The helmet is too square, the operational gears on the shoulders are completely sideways, and the jewel is on the wrong side…" she muttered with a click of her tongue. "Definitely not Escaflowne's blueprints."

A twinkle of lovely blue pressing gently into the cream carpet lining caught Hitomi's studious eyes and she tilted her head curiously. Her gaze glided up to find the source of color and she discovered with an unbridled delight that it was coming from a large stained glass window a little past the hallway to the left. She couldn't see the window properly. Glancing at her cursing friend who was having no luck locking the door to their hotel room, she decided to investigate. The blue light began to bleed on her as she walked closer and closer.

She gasped as she finally saw the full window. The sun – rising through the morning – glittered the majestic glass that covered from floor to ceiling. It spanned at least seven feet wide, stretching the scene like it had once been real and was now caught in some mysterious spell; forever trapped. The fantastic mix of small light and dark blues swirling with aqua green floated gracefully like waves. It was water at its loveliest depiction. The glass was splashing upward as if crashing on the surf. Emerging from the white spray were the two most beautiful figures she'd ever seen. One with white wings spread wide was floating, her feet trailing above the water. The stained-glass wings twinkled like crystals. The angel's long dark hair was caught in a gentle breeze that likewise brushed her draping dress off her full body. The other was a human man in mid-run; his muscles realistically flexing; reaching to touch the angel desperately. The angel's hand was just moving, her shoulders in the progress of bending to fly down into his arms. Stepping even closer, Hitomi noticed that even their fingers were detailed with exquisite care. The smiles of devotion and radiant love on their glass faces made her sad. Forever caught in the confines of their glass prison, it was as if they found each other after decades of fruitless searching. They were so close to touching, holding, hugging, but were entombed once more in this everlasting need. A drop of morning dew on the window shimmied down the dark solder and copper and rolled down the angel's delicate facial features.

A tear.

"Hitomi? Where'd you run off to?" The faraway voice of Yukari hardly fazed her. It took her friend grabbing her arm to finally wake her from the enchanting spell of the stained-glass window.

"Wha?" She mumbled blinking several times as the light from the glass caused small white spots in her vision.

"I asked if you were ready to go. I finally got the stupid door locked."

"Yeah, yeah, I am. I was just looking at-"

"More hotel junk?" Yukari exhaled shortly and her brown eyes flicked from the stained-glass window to Hitomi's face, unimpressed. "Really, this place could use a proper decorator."

Hitomi sighed and shifted her backpack on her shoulder. "You never have any appreciation for the arts. Why did you even come to Fanelia with me in the first place?"

"Because your mom said that she didn't want you going on a crazy trip to foreign countries all alone." Yukari draped her arm around Hitomi's shoulders and turned her back down the hallway to the stairs. "And if I didn't come you'd spend your entire time in museums looking at old boring stuff."

Hitomi scoffed and stopped short next to a large painting of a glowing dragon heart in the palm of a hand. "I'm here to work, Yukari, not play. You know this more than anyone."

"That doesn't mean you can't party once the museums close."

"Let's just get this cleared up for the thirtieth time: I'm _not_ here to party. I have to spend as much time as possible with this research. I have a limit here. The Winged Palace is only available to the public just these three days and this is the only tour available. I have to get as much information on the Escaflowne as I can. I've even paid extra for the tour of the Chapellieur al' Dragoon after we see the castle. This is my first real glimpse at where they kept the actual Dragon Guymelef. I can't miss it after traveling all this way." Hitomi's eyes misted over as her thoughts excitedly turned to her research. "It was said to have been created by the Ispano to both protect the Escaflowne and cage it. 'Chapellieur al' Dragoon' means 'Cage for the Dragon'. Why would they need to cage something that can't move without a pilot? Is it not _fascinating?_"

Yukari sighed at the vague dreamy look of her friend. She placed a hand on Hitomi's shoulder. "Look, I know you're working on your weird _conspiracy theory _project but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun, right?"

The short-haired girl blinked. "What do you mean? This _is _fun."

Yukari let out a small laugh at Hitomi's bewildered face. "No. No, it's not."

* * *

The bus' brakes shrieked in protest as the driver pressed on them slowly before coming to a complete stop in front of the large, dangerously twisted, barb-wired gate. Twitching her green eyes forward, she noticed the huge, wire-hairy driver lean out the window to talk to the three armed guards that had immediately raced up to flank the bus. The soldiers' garbs were camouflaged with various shades of greens, but the tell-tale lightning bolt insignias on the left breast of their uniforms identified them as Zaibach's military. Clutching a loaded Uzi with a tense hand, one of the guards stepped further forward and the driver pressed a small badge into his hand. Glancing up with a short nod of approval, the guard gave the badge back and stepped out of the way. As the gate lit green and began an audible grading to let the bus through, a small jerking motion to her right made Hitomi glance at the person several rows in front of her. A navy hat ducked out of sight just as the bus passed the armed guards. Narrowing her green eyes, she opened her mouth to whisper the strange behavior to Yukari, but her friend was currently distracted with texting on her phone. Probably to Amano. The short-haired girl decided not to interfere with a lover's message.

As the bus rocked down the cobbled way, Hitomi's heart began to flutter with excitement. Her head bobbed up and down, scanning all the windows for a better glimpse at the structure that had been her subject of controversy for almost a decade. After waiting for The Winged Castle to open back up to the public, after buying the expensive tickets seven years in advance, after traveling so far and spending more than her savings should allow on airship tickets, after _dreaming_ to see the castle she'd only read about in her textbooks and her father's research notes, she clenched her fists happily on her knees to stop herself from reaching over to shake Yukari with anticipation.

And finally, it was time.

Zipping up her blue jacket and securing her fluffy hat over her short, brown locks, Hitomi followed Yukari off the tour bus and onto the paved pathway. As the people piled out one by one and began milling about, she quickly swiveled her yellow backpack around her front and pulled out her precious small leather journal. Brushing through the old, stiff pages expertly, she shoved her mechanical pencil between her teeth and searched with a frantic finger for a certain part of her notes. Taking the writing tool, she jotted down the dimensions of the decorative castle standing before her.

_The front Winged Palace:_

_Fourteen Turrets – _She looked up and counted. A drop of disappointment rolled down into her stomach as she wrote, _three left standing: two at the back; one in front; the rest collapsed. _At _Six Front Guard Towers_, she sniffled in the cold wind that brushed her rosy cheeks and scribbled, _None left fully standing; further study indicates hints, but only foot high rubble at bases. _

It only took several minutes for her scholarly gaze to completely calculate each piece of the castle and for all of the wind-blustered tourists to file out of the bus properly. Despite her thrilling happiness to be in the midst of all this history, she couldn't stop the wave of melancholy at how much the abandoned castle had collapsed into disarray. Even if visitations to The Winged Palace was booked now decades in advance, it was tragic how much they had let the castle go; even since the pictures in her textbooks. Most of the left side of the castle was concaved into piles of smashed rubble. One of the few standing turrets was leaning precariously to the side as if it too was about to collapse with the rest of its fallen brothers. A giant piece of the dirt-encrusted limestone had broken off and exposed bits of the chaotic rooms within. Tucking her pencil inside the journal and securing the precious book under her armpit, she fished out her digital camera from the yellow backpack, secured the strap around her neck, and set the flash on automatic.

"Well, there it is. The famous Winged Palace. Looks a bit on the breezy side." Yukari murmured to Hitomi, her brown eyes visibly reflecting on the impending boredom in her near future.

"Gather around, gather around." The tour guide stretched a long fake grin on his round face; waving his hands high in the air to catch everyone's attention. Despite his excitable visage, his small body quivered underneath his thick coat. The short guide's pointed nose and slightly squeaking voice indicated he had a bit of mouse heritage in his bloodline. More disappointment filled her.

The tour wasn't even given from a native Fanelian.

"I am your assigned tour guide for today, Mr. Heepie, and I am thrilled to bits to have such a wonderful group here today." The mouse-man, obviously new to the concept of public speaking, spoke like they were an excitable elementary school classroom that was getting ready to learn their ABCs. "As you well know, the Fanelian Representatives voted to allow The Winged Palace to be open for touring just three days out of the year. Does anyone know why it's only for three days?"

Hitomi immediately raised her hand and Heepie gave her an acknowledging nod.

"After the Rebellion, it took three days to put of the fires."

"Partially correct! It probably would have burned longer, but thankfully, Zaibach caught wind of what was happening to the small country and – as an act of good faith for such a grievous tragedy – she rose on the wings of comfort to take care of the scattered citizens, help rebuild, and, eventually, stabilize Fanelia for the better. Since the last of the royal family was killed during the Rebellion, Zaibach stayed for three hundred years to establish the first layout of what would become a stable Oligarchy - which was some extreme radical thinking for a monarchical world at the time, but more on that later. These three days are set aside for the timely arrival of Zaibach and the three centuries she worked to save Fanelia from utter disaster. Now, let me give you a brief overview of what we will be seeing today…"

The short-haired girl mouth curved down into a frown. She opened her lips to comment, but Yukari's phone let out a loud beep and the tour guide's irritatingly happy grin flickered as he dropped his squeaking buttery speech to scold her friend. "No phones out during the tour, please. Especially when I am talking." Yukari rolled her eyes and tucked her phone into her back pocket. Crossing her arms, she glared at Hitomi like it was her fault. Snuggling further into her jacket, a wave of irrational annoyance for the tour guide swirled in her belly. His phony joyfulness would be more tolerable if a chilling wind hadn't decided to rage through the slowly freezing tourists and twist icily down the backs of their coats. The longer he talked, the longer they stood with the wind blasting in their faces.

The mouse spoke in wide gestures, his tiny hands flickering in the air like the conductor of a symphony. Finally, he said, "let's all head a bit closer, shall we?" and a wave of relief befell more than one shivering individual.

She took several steps forward to follow the crowd and her shoulder was bumped roughly by someone who was trying to brush past her. "Excuse me," She said politely, keeping a firm hand on her notebook as the stranger kept walking forward without acknowledging her at all. The navy baseball hat made her stop short.

"Well, that was rude." Yukari hissed loud enough for the person to hear.

Hitomi shot her friend a small smile and shook her head. "Whatever, no worries."

Keeping an eye on the discourteous stranger, she swallowed down a strange spike of nervousness that had washed through her. A tingling sensation crept up the back of her neck as the rude man separated himself from the group, walking closer with tentative steps to the drawbridge of the castle. Taking in his filthy pants and ragged tennis shoes and the holes in his thick jacket, Hitomi immediately scooted protectively closer to Yukari. Long scraggly black hair flipped out from under his hat that was tucked very low over his forehead; completely covering the top part of his face in shadow. He took several more steps past the group and stumbled slightly on an upturned stone. The guide noticed him.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you need to stay on the smoothed pathway we are taking. Separation from the tour group is strictly prohibited without permission from me. Not to worry, though. We will be entering the Palace within the next hour or so. There is a side entrance around the back that is a safer route. We will go in after walking the gardens." Heepie squeaked the words importantly with his little eyes narrowing through his courteous smile; obviously increasingly aware of the stranger's ragged apparel. The man's back stiffened as he stopped shortly and Hitomi wondered if he was going to fight back.

He didn't. He took three steps backward to the paved walkway available to him and stood still, gazing up at the castle from the lid of his cap as if in a trance. His back facing her, she couldn't see his face.

There was something weird about him. The chill hit her again and she tucked her neck and chin further into the collar of her jacket.

Turning back to concentrate on the squeaking tour guide, she tried to listen as the mouse-man began to describe the basic layout of the castle grounds, but her eyes wandered back to the Palace itself. Even from the centuries that had passed since the fall of Fanelia, she could still make out the ancient scorch marks on the crusted limestone that caused permanent deep black lines of dirt and rust.

According to the historical archives written in Zaibach, the entire country of Fanelia had been razed in an uprising in the year 1360. The newly appointed king was put to death during the Rebellion. The precious suit of armor only piloted by the royal family, the Dragon Armored Guymelef, Escaflowne was lost or destroyed in the haze of fire and rage.

Or so all the textbooks tell it.

Sucking in a cold breath, Hitomi took out her journal and flipped carefully to a page. She read her own handwriting as the questions she'd been asking herself for so many years cropped into her mind. Through all her research, she had combed carefully for any hint, clue, whisper for the possible area Van Slanzar's body could be buried. Yes, it was possible that the young king had been buried in the rubble as his castle fell to the ground, or he had been thrown in the multitude of corpses that filled the olden mass grave sites that were found all outside the city's gates, but… Hitomi frowned. That wasn't actually documented proof. It was just kind of implied.

And implication had a chance to be wrong.

Zaibach's records never mentioned where the king was killed, let alone buried. The same with the Escaflowne. She sighed as she turned several pages to her own crude sketches and labeled parts of the beautiful ancient Guymelef she'd copied from her father's own research papers. Glancing back to the ruined castle standing before her, her eyes slipped to her right on the silent, capped stranger still standing before the lifeless corpse of a palace. A whelp of pity for the man filled her and she blinked at the irrational and unexpected feeling.

"…it is said the rebels attacked by both heavy frontal assault on Fanelia's outer wall and also through the sewer system to gain closer access to the coronation ceremony of their seventy-fourth king, Van Slanzar de Fanel. If you follow me past this walkway, we will cross the drawbridge. Once we are at a certain part of the bridge, I will show you the tunnels the rebel's used." The tour guide noticed Hitomi's camera and his nose twitched. "I should say right now that pictures are permitted only on the outside of the castle. You will have to leave your belongings in a holding station when we reach the entrance to the Winged Palace. The same rules will apply to those who have booked the extended tour for the Chapellieur al' Dragoon."

Yukari yawned as she walked with the crowd. Hitomi followed shortly after her with green eyes flipping all over the muted edifice. Their collective footfalls clacked loudly, echoing and bouncing raucously on the empty stones with the sense of desolation like they were entering a graveyard. The straight-backed mountain in which the castle had been carved out of loomed gloriously irrepressible as they made their way into its dwarfing shadow. A cold chill ran down Hitomi's spine as soon as she left the bleary sun to walk inside its icy shroud. Yukari let out a violent shiver right beside her.

"You owe me." Her friend leaned in to whisper. "One club. That's all I'm asking. One bar. _Something_."

"But this is so much fun." Hitomi shot back sarcastically and laughed at Yukari's quirked eyebrow.

"Now, if you look down to your left at the water, you'll see the ingenious sewer system that was very high-tech for its day. The piping system ran all the way through the city into the mountains. This system would still be in use today, but unfortunately it is in such disrepair that there is no salvaging it. Carried by pressured gas much like the ancient Guymelef's steam-based operating systems, it pushed fresh water in through sterilizing metallic pipes and fed toxic wastes into the…"

Hitomi watched Yukari yawn for the second time and felt a string of frustration and guilt. This _was_ boring. Rolling her green eyes away from the little guide, she noticed the navy-capped man standing away from the group, his head still tilted up at the castle. He was almost on the other side of the bridge as if purposefully separating himself from their group. Realizing her stare, his sheltered face swiveled to her and she gasped, quickly looking back at the guide.

Her cheeks burned.

"…now follow me across the bridge. Watch your step. We are going to be walking around the ruins and the loose pebbles could trip you up." Thankful for something to do, she could almost physically feel the man's gaze on her back as she walked with the group. They labored past the drawbridge closer to the broken steps leading to the blocked entrance doors.

"Stop here." The guide ordered lifting a hand as if commanding an army to halt. Turning around, he gestured to the ground and immediately the group split into a circle around a huge crumbled imprint on the stones. "If you see here, this was once the spot where the Elders gathered to crown the newly appointed king. Take a look behind you."

Hitomi followed the rest of the group and her heart leapt with awe. Unknowingly, they had been climbing uphill since the bus dropped them off and the entire layout of Fanelia's little city was visible all the way to the outer walls. It was magnificent despite the large wired gate blocking the public from the ruinous castle. Her heart fell a bit. What she wouldn't give to see it how it was? Fanelia, in all its glory.

"Men and women, civilians and native nomads in the Arzaz pastures, people from around the entire providence stood at the gates watching. The future king or queen – after the ritual of dragon slaying was complete – stood on this very symbol. They would be dressed in the ceremonial armor and given the dragon sword to unlock the Guymelef Escaflowne. They'd also use the dragon heart obtained during the ritual to pilot the Guymelef. This archaic way of harvesting the energists was sacred to the early Fanelians. Not only did it prove the worthiness of the ruler, but also proved their integrity to the Escaflowne as well. It was thought that the Dragon Armor could see into men's hearts and read the lies written upon it. Only a human of true character, untouched by the impurity of deceit, someone who had single-handedly harvested the energist by himself could operate the legendary Ispano Guymelef. Of course, that is all nonsense." The guide let out a small laugh. "It's a nice story, though."

Though many stones were missing, she could still see the beautiful symbol through the tearing of age. The spots of reddish brick that lined a golden pointed symbol. The tiny imprinted curvature of the dragon etched in the stones in the middle. Unthinkingly, she left the deteriorated symbol to the guide's whiny explanations and looked for the navy-capped man. He was glancing back at the smoky city, his face always turned away from everyone. The cold wind brushed against the shivering crowd of tourists. When it reached his body, it seemed to caress him gently, the tips of his long black hair swaying enticingly in the breeze.

"Are there any questions?" The mouse-man squeaked to the crowd and Hitomi turned back immediately to lift her hand in the frigid air. He rose onto his toes with a nod of recognition.

"You say Van Slanzar was killed in the Rebellion."

"Yees…" the guide drawled out behind a grin.

"Where is his body buried?"

"Textbooks do not say much about the last king. But one thing we know for certain is that Van Slanzar _did _perish along with a vast majority of his citizens – both prominent and peasantry - during the beginning of the Rebellion. Documents from Zaibach state the rebel leader, Balgus, was personally responsible for his demise. I am afraid that is all we can conclude on the subject."

"And the Escaflowne-"

"The Dragon Armor has been confirmed from Zaibach to have left the Chapellieur al' Dragoon before the Rebellion began. From Zaibach's historical archive, it is documented that the Guymelef was also destroyed by the rebels."

"So, Van Slanzar released the Guymelef from its cage, correct?"

"That is what is known in the archives, yes." The guide snorted impatiently. She felt the annoyed vibe from the crowd and chanced one more question.

"Then Van Slanzar must be wherever Escaflowne is if the king's the only one who could have released it from the Chapellieur al' Dragoon. Has there been any attempt to dig the Escaflowne out of the rubble? Is there any proof that the Guyemelef is there?"

"The records at Zaibach state clearly that-"

"It's all well and good for Zaibach to state it, but what about actual proof? An actual gravesite? A body? The Guymelef wreckage?"

The mouse's smile faltered. "Zaibach's historical records are the only proof we need," he dismissed with a solid squeak. "Now if we can continue, I will be taking a left here over to the rose gardens. Feel free to take as many pictures as you'd like since we cannot permit pictures later on in the tour."

Hitomi sighed with a sting of irritation. Yukari nudged her with an elbow.

"What?"

"Cool that crazy head of yours, Hitomi. I don't want to be stuck in a jail cell in the middle of nowhere."

The short-haired girl raised an eyebrow wondering if her friend was joking or not. With a huff of finality, Hitomi grumbled under her breath. Waiting for gawking spectators to move off the symbol, she reached for the camera that dangled around her neck to snap a picture of the ground. Just as she lifted the lens to her eye, she felt the tingle of someone watching her. Turning her head, she saw the navy-capped man swing away and walk briskly ahead of her. His shoulders slumped forward; again the illogical feeling of sympathy washed over her. Focusing the camera quickly, she clicked a picture of his slouching back. Looking at the digital image, she frowned to herself and clicked to erase the picture.

Whatever possessed her to take a picture of some raggedy man?

Focusing the camera back on the castle ruin, she found herself suddenly thinking the words her father always wrote at the end of his letters to her: "_Do read a good old novel - Sweet little angel, yell every romantic sonnet. Things are not always as they seem. Be ready._"

Lowering the camera without snapping a shot, she retrieved the tattered journal from under her arm and flipped to where she'd scribed those exact words. Studying each letter, she sighed and pressed the yellowing page to her heart. Her chest felt warm in the cold desolate weather.

"I'm dying to know what was in your head, dad. I've got to make sense of it. What did you mean? I've studied your journal backward and forward. You'd never call your research a 'novel', so you must be talking about something else. I know for certain you don't want me to yell random romance sonnets, so… what does it _mean_?" The wind whistled through the empty castle and the various hushed voices of the tourists brushed by her, but yet she was no closer to understand the cryptic words than before.

"Hitomi! Come on! The guide is waiting on you, slowpoke!" Yukari's echoing voice broke her thoughts. Shutting the book with a quick snap, she took a steady breath before racing toward her friend.

"…was here that the infamous Draconian Queen Varie caught the youngest son – Van Slanzar – as he fell from the rooftops of the castle. It is known that the wings cursed to the Draconian race were passed to her two sons and it is because of this curse that the rebellion began. Tied to wed the young princess of Guitoma on the day of his twenty-sixth birthday, King Goau broke his long-term promise and married the Draconian before the intended date. Balgus, a native from Guitoma by birth, was enraged by the terrible insult inflicted upon his country and the taint of the Draconian blood that now infested Fanelia's royal bloodline. Thus, he began the longest planned coup in history right under the nose of the king himself."

Hitomi lifted her hand and the mouse nodded to her. "This might be a hard question, but Balgus was King Goau's best friend and confident. Balgus publically swore on his life and blade to protect Goau and his future offspring from harm on the day of Goau's marriage to Varie. He trained both the crown princes in Guitoma's legendary sword techniques."

"I fail to see the question in these statements." The guide remarked. Several members of the crowd shifted into reflexively defensive stances against her; crossing their arms and spreading their feet wide. She took note of the rising non-verbal threat and matched it with her own.

"My _question_ is why would a traitor spend so much time and energy protecting something he was just going to destroy a handful of years later? Balgus was a master swordsman and was alone with the royal family quite a bit. He could have killed either of the princes numerous times. Why did he choose that moment to strike? Just when Fanelia was steadily climbing the ladder of power though exports and military prowess?"

"_Like I said_, this coup was planned _after_ the royal wedding to Queen Varie. The unrest was hidden in the shadows. Balgus had to keep up appearances to make sure his betrayal was never discovered by those who could warn the king or his sons and-"

"But _like I said,_ Fanelia was prosperous, peaceful, and gaining power during Goau's entire reign and after that. It was mostly due to the fact that Varie was such a good Queen. She strengthened most of the alliances between Austuria, Freud, Joko, and Britonia by serving as a foreign ambassador for the throne. She even set up a thriving export system. Fanelia's natural mining resource, aerbrose powder, was highly sought after by many developed countries that were beginning to use them for air ships. The 'floating rocks formula' was so valuable that, despite the small size of its country, it only took about six years for Fanelia to rival any one of those for world power. Guitoma was at peace with the broken contract because Fanelia gave them a major discount in aerbrose as compensation for the broken engagement. A peace that lasted until the Rebellion, that is."

The mouse's smile was gone. His pointed nose quivered. "Zaibach's _record_ clearly states Balgus planned this coup in the underground. He used maps of the sewers to infiltrate. And that's all you need to know about it."

Feeling the hard leather of her journal in her hand, she straightened her back argumentatively and felt another painful nudge from Yukari.

"Seriously, Hitomi, calm down. You paid for this, so just enjoy it and complain later at the bar."

"But he's just spouting lies_._" She hissed back angrily. "There is never any proof. Only what _Zaibach _has written about it. Did you see those guards back there? Fanelia isn't an oligarchy or democracy or anything resembling the word freedom. They are still occupied! Or should I say _invaded!_"

Yukari blinked and looked worriedly at the angry faces of those around them. "Be quiet, you idiot. This is a different country. You can't just spout your controversial ideals and not expect repercussions. If you have an objection, please don't cause a scene about it."

"It's not my fault they are all liars." Hitomi grumbled.

"The Rebellion, Balgus' treachery, this is what is widely known. This is _fact. _I _know_ you have a magic journal full of some weird crap from your dad, but you came here to learn. So, why don't you just accept it and move on?"

With another deep huff, she glowered at the little mouse man, who pointedly ignored her. "Because… things are not always as they seem…"

As she stepped with the crowd to grouchily examine the dead rose bushes that carried bits of fallen castle debris, she never noticed the mahogany eyes of the navy-capped man staring straight at the back of her fuzzy, hatted head.

* * *

She felt empty without her yellow backpack on her shoulders, but at least she got away with stuffing the journal in her loose-fitting jacket. Practically waltzing into the tiny crack in the castle just past the rose garden, the short-haired girl's green eyes widened and her hands began to tremble with a fierce rush of tingles that played a rhythm down her spine. The utter despair and ruin of the Winged Palace was completely expected considering the horrible decay of the outside… but inside, she could see the wonderfully awe-inspiring decorations and fabulous paintings carved into the abandoned walls. The deep darkness in each blackened corner and crevice pillaged her mind with irrational thoughts of evil phantoms waiting for prey. A road of velvet red rope on either side of the trail was illuminated with small lights that kept the worst of the darkness at bay. With a twitchy nose, the guide spoke softly, but even his squeaky voice felt like it was swallowed by some mysterious invisible entity. "Do not step outside the rope and follow the pathway. We will talk more once we reach the outside of the castle. I demand absolute silence during this particular part of the tour. Any sound might disturb rocks and falling debris. This makes it very dangerous for everyone. In and out, people. In and out."

Reaching out, she took Yukari's cold hand in her own and they followed the rope obediently. Overhanging archways carrying crumbling marble steps towards fallen towers. Crushed dusty painted walls of winged creatures. Layers of fallen woven tapestries littered the dirty floor in a glory of despondency. Several pieces of a painted wall lined the back as she and Yukari passed around a massive fallen column etched with marble leaves. Passing along the crushed wall and ducking under a scorched - yet still somehow majestic - limestone statue, Hitomi felt her eyes sting with tears. The statue was headless, its missing head cranium mixed somewhere in the darkness. It lay on its back, its right arm and both legs still attached. The statue's hand was extended, reaching out into the air fruitlessly. Just looking at the statue gave Hitomi a chilling horror. The quiet was unnerving. Unnatural. All-encompassing.

Like a tomb.

The robe circled around once and led back out the way they had come. It was practically a joy to escape out of the castle. The fierce wind felt like a happy friend as it raced against their exposed faces. Following the growing group that was beginning to circle around the small pile of their left belongings, Hitomi let go of Yukari's hand and slid her fingers up to her hidden journal. She'd forgotten all about it once inside. Flipping to an empty page, she noticed her hands were shaking violently. Her pencil hovered over the blank paper expectantly, but nothing came to mind. A drop of water plopped into the journal and she shut it with an audible snap; wiping her eyes at the same time.

What was wrong with her? Why was she crying? She'd been waiting all this time to see the inside of the Winged Palace. She knew it was a ruin. She knew the terrible history. Chiding herself inwardly, she turned to the group to gather her yellow backpack and her gaze fell on the navy-capped man once more. He was quite a bit a ways from the group facing the mountainside, his head hanging low. He had a tan hand braced on the rocks, leaning as if he could hardly breathe. She watched his back quiver and he let go of the rocks to cover his mouth.

He looked like he was going to be violently sick. Hitomi found herself walking closer to the man, the ever-increasing pity rushing through her. It was the same every time she saw him.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked quietly, lifting her hand to place it on his shoulder. Sensing her hand with some alien sixth sense, he suddenly let out string of strange words and instantly leapt away from her upraised palm. His legs bent slightly and tan hands clenched into fists, he looked ready to fight her and she backed away several steps in fright. Green eyes wide, she finally saw his face underneath the cap. Sparkling mahogany eyes rocked into her body and set her heart beating wildly. He was her age. Mid-twenties, at least. With another foreign word which could have been a curse, he reached up and pushed his cap down on his forehead to completely cover his eyes. As he relaxed out of his fighting stance with yet another soft word, she noticed a strange golden chain around his neck. Whatever was on the necklace was tucked underneath his jacket.

"Right, any questions anyone?"

Rapidly, Hitomi turned on foot and raised her hand in the air. The guide let out a high groan. "Very well, miss. What is your question this time?"

"Why does Fanelia keep the guards around the Palace gate? Is it to make sure no one will steal any of the valuables inside?"

The mouse clicked his tongue as Yukari joined her side carrying the awaiting backpack. She had the same expression mirrored in everyone else's face: tolerated irritation.

"The valuables you speak of are nothing more than trash. Many of the precious jewels have eroded away with time."

"I meant the paintings and tapestries. Surely there would be some money in selling those priceless items even if they were ruined."

"Funny you should mention that. Fanelia's second biggest export – the first being aerbrose, as you so nicely pointed out before – was actually woven silk. Harvested from the exotic silk worms that cultivated near the volcanic rock several miles away, the Fanelian's perfected the art of extracting the silk and weaving the threads into woven wonders. They produced some of the finest artwork to date. It's unfortunate, but those tapestries we saw in the Palace are worthless. We have lost a lot of precious pieces as the years have gone by and more of the castle has fallen."

"But what of the-"

"The guards, yes, yes, Zaibach has tried its best to preserve the Winged Palace exactly as it looked after the Rebellion. And that is all." The man gestured with finality to lead the group back to the front of the castle, but Hitomi wasn't done.

"Why does Zaibach leave it like that? Keeping such a beautiful castle in such a horrible and dangerous condition? It doesn't make sense. What if there are hidden secrets inside that could give us more information about the Rebellion? What if the Escaflowne or Van Slanzar is in there somewhere?"

"It is kept as a monument to the royal family that perished. Letting it remain how it was after the fall is doing the family a noble service."

A ripple of anger at the man's irrational remarks raced though Hitomi and she couldn't stop herself from snarling, "It looks more like an _reminder_ more than anything."

The mouse-man stopped with a quivering nose and the crowd was hushed into an awkward silence. "Just what are you implying, miss?"

Straightening her back once more and using her advantage in height to glance down her nose at him, she heatedly replied, "Zaibach refuses to allow a declared _free _democracy like Fanelia to even preserve a small portion of its own precious history. Zaibach keeps its own guards to block it off from the _free _public, which reminds me, supposedly has the _freedom _to vote on improving their own standards of living, economy, and public representatives, oh, but not without Zaibach standing right at their backs, breathing down their necks, and making sure those representatives vote exactly how they say!"

"Hitomi!" Yukari gasped as many of those in the tour covered their mouths in horror. The mouse let out a disheveled squeak and put a hand over his obviously fast-paced heart. "I assure you that Zaibach is only meaning to protect-"

"So, why don't they fix the Palace? Why do they only open it up to a minority of the public who are willing to pay a heavy load of money? Does any of that money go to Fanelia or does Zaibach pocket the entirety? And what are we here for? Why, to see humiliated history decay and rot away like a decomposing skeleton on display! And I noticed how it's only available for _three days_ because that's how long Fanelia _burned!_ A nice touch from Zaibach to distil even more fear into the Fanelian populous. Let the captive civilians gaze at the slow obliteration of their royal family and tell stories blaming the Rebellion on a man who took a swordsman's oath to protect the king. Makes me wonder if there was ever a Rebellion to begin with-"

"This way, _please!_" The tour guide cut her off loudly and led the group swiftly through the rose gardens once more. Mouth still open in mid-argument, the short-haired girl growled with boiling fury.

"You are a liar!"

Yukari shot her a worried look. "Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea. You have hardly asked any questions about the Escaflowne and have shouted at the tour guide way too many times to be a normal grumpy tourist. If you keep this up, you'll get kicked out before you even have a chance to step inside the Chapploo-whatever. Watch what you are saying, Hitomi. You are being kind of slanderous."

"It's called the _Chapellieur al' Dragoon_." Hitomi corrected immediately through gritted teeth. Snatching the yellow backpack from her friend's hands, she zipped it open and plopped her journal safely inside. "Slander to whom? Zaibach doesn't _rule_ Fanelia, _right?_" Yukari shot her friend another look before following the crowd. "And Fanelia's second biggest export was _coal_," the conspiracy theorist muttered under her breath and angrily stomped after the whispering throngs that were shooting her dark looks.

Following a few steps behind her, his shadowed head tilted with thought, the navy-capped man placed a tan hand on his chest were the mysterious necklace lay hidden within.

* * *

"Annnnd here it is, folks. The illustrious training grounds for the Guymelef pilots." The guide swept his hand as the rapid clicks from many cameras went off like fanatic paparazzi.

Still sore from the dispute earlier, Hitomi took three pictures and didn't even look at the digitals as they laced up on the small screen of her camera. Despite her biting disinterest, she couldn't help admiring the vast arena in which the pilots must have had free rein to hone their skills with the mechanical monsters. The coliseum rose numerous hundred feet in the sky and seemed to reach for the heavens itself. Bowling to a large open space, she could practically hear the distant metallic buzz of gears whirling together in a flurrying dance of combat.

"…past kings trained here as well. Escaflowne made a few special appearances from time to time to honor several of their most talented pilots. The rebel, Balgus, was one such pilot who-"

"No, he wasn't!" Hitomi blurted immediately and Yukari groaned with a palm to her forehead.

"Miss, I have been as polite as I can stand." The mouse parted the staring group and came up to Hitomi swiftly. "If you speak out one more time, I will have to forcefully escort you out."

"If you tell the truth, then maybe I would. Balgus wasn't a pilot."

The guide's nose twitched violently with anger. "Yes, he was! He was the cause for most of the damage to the castle grounds!"

"If anyone in this stupid place ever decides to do some actual research outside the lies that Zaibach has written in their self-proclaimed _historical archives_, they'd discover in medical records of the royal family in Guitoma that, as a child, Balgus was inflicted with kinetosis! There was no way he could pilot a Guymelef, let alone ride co-pilot with motion-sickness! Instead, he honed his skills as a Guitoma swordsman and built his reputation with the blade."

There was silence except the wind gushing through the empty stadium.

"One more word, miss. One more word and you are _out of here_!"

Opening her mouth to retort sharply, Yukari's hand flung out wildly and slapped itself painfully across her lips. "I'll try to keep her under control. I'm so sorry for her disruptions. She'll calm-down-now-right?" Her friend emphasized the words and Hitomi rolled her green eyes in defiant silence.

"Remember what I said, miss. I was getting ready to call the guards, but I'll take your wise friend's words to heart. Not another word, even to ask where the bathroom is."

"We understand. Thank you for letting her stay." Yukari bowed swiftly and – letting go of Hitomi's mouth – pushed harshly on the back of her head, forcing her into a ridiculous bow as well.

His bushy eyebrows rising importantly, he turned away and continued describing the Guymelef tournaments with a brisk, self-important manner. Finally letting go of the short-haired girl's neck, Hitomi straightened up and glared at her friend.

"Don't give me that look. I would happily get us kicked out if I could, especially if it'd let me finally get a glass of wine and somewhere warm to sit down. You paid a lot of money for this tour. If you'd keep your smart-aleck comments to yourself, you might actually get into the Champaloo Dramagoo."

Opening her mouth to probably correct her mispronunciation, Yukari covered her lips once more and gave a small smile. "No more talking. You are banned from talking."

Sighing through her nose, Hitomi nodded shortly.

"Good." The auburn-headed girl let go of her friend's mouth and leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Make sure to tap me on the shoulder if he says anything wrong. I am actually curious on how you found the medicinal records of Guitoma dating that far back. Of course, you are crazy, so I should be too surprised."

Smirking, the historian nodded confidently and leaned in closer to listen to the guide's exuberant tale of a documented Guymelef tournament.

A certain man eased closer to the now silenced woman. A line of worry crossed his unseen brow.

* * *

"Hey, Hitomi, don't talk because you're not allowed, but have you noticed that nasty guy following us closely?"

Curious green eyes glanced behind her and her stomach jolted in surprise as she saw the bright-eyed man from before stepping only a few feet away, his head focused down at the ground. Tan hands shoved in his jacket pockets, his tennis shoes seemed to keep in step with hers. Frowning to herself, she gave Yukari a quick wink before stopping suddenly. He collided with her back.

"Sorry…" He buried his head lower as his voice whispered deep and warm from his hat. The 'r' was accented heavily, sounding more like the letter 'l'. Fanelian accent.

She nodded, acknowledging his apology non-verbally and continued walking with Yukari.

"Have I ever told you that you are crazy?"

Grinning, Hitomi held up her hands and flashed her ten fingers five times.

"Gotta be more than fifty," her auburn friend scoffed. "I've known you for too long. It's probably in the hundreds by now."

Passing under a drooping tree in a small grove branching the arena to the Chapellieur al' Dragoon, the two girls walked silently side-by-side casually listening to the mouse-guide weave stories resembling a Fanelian tapestry. Several times, Hitomi reached into her backpack for her tattered journal and rapidly flipped through pages. Right after finding the correct page, she'd tap Yukari's shoulder with a smirk and shake her head softly. Yukari giggled in response.

A toe hit the back of Hitomi's shoe and she tripped as her foot slipped out. Stumbling to catch herself, she glanced behind her at the ragged man. His sheltered mahogany eyes flicking into her surprised green, again the rush of unexpected pity filled her. She couldn't stop herself. Balancing foolishly on one foot, she asked softly, "Who are you?"

Yukari gasped and hissed for her to be quiet.

The man remained silent. With the grace of an athlete, he swooped down to pick up her fallen shoe and took several steps towards her.

"Stay away!" Yukari shouted backing up and a throng of curious tourists stopped to watch him with confused expressions. The mysterious man came within arms distance and knelt down in front of Hitomi on the earthy ground. With gentle, warm fingers, he delicately took hold of her airborne socked foot and guided it back into her awaiting dirty sneaker. Looking down at his capped head and the long bits of flyaway black hair falling on his broad shoulders, her hot blood pounded in her ears and filled her cheeks with an embarrassing blush. She wobbled marginally unbalanced as her heart began to race at an unnatural tempo. The winding pity she'd felt before was combining with a mild apprehension at his boldness.

"Than-thank you…" she whispered as he finished tying the laces. He pulled the tongue of the shoe out and stood back up without another look at her; however, she caught a lot more of his hidden visage thanks to the close proximity. Another rush of heat washed into her face and down her spine. He was kinda _cute_. Lips pressed into a thin line, his glinting eyes were masked by thick black eyelashes. A strong jawline edged in tanned skin, the veins in his neck visibly pulsed with his heavy heartbeats. The knee of his already ragged pants had a soggy, muddy blob where he'd knelt in the dirt. As he walked further away she registered through her dazed consciousness that he was taller than her by at least a few inches. Yukari held a silly expression of mouth-opened shock as he sauntered past, tucking his tan hands back into the pockets of his jacket as if nothing unusual had happened at all.

"Okay, that was weird." Her friend murmured. "Do you even know that guy?"

Remembering to not talk for the first time since she'd lost her shoe, Hitomi shook her head in complete loss.

Her foot still felt warm where he'd touched her.

As the man disappeared in the large crowd of tourists, together in silence, the girls passed through the weedy grove. It was only a handful of ticking seconds before the trees parted to display a stony hidden fortress embedded into the mountainside. Grabbing Yukari's cold hand, the short-haired girl beamed excitedly. Her green eyes danced as she instantly whipped out her journal and began documenting each angle of the Chapellieur al' Dragoon. Standing only about eighty feet high, most of the Corinthian columns that lined the entrance-way had either collapsed over the pastureland that had long ago conquered over the ancient grounds or were tittering on the edge of crumbling deterioration. Hitomi wondered how the structure was holding up on the inside if the outside was in such complete disarray. Noticing the plant vines entangling themselves all over the structure, she let out a disappointed breath. Surrounding the flourishing meadow were short thick trees, obviously planted long ago for an artistic flair. Left to their own devices, the trees had practically smothered each other in the squashed rows as more began to sprout underneath.

Her green eyes left the Chapellieur al' Dragoon and searched for the navy cap. She spotted it on the complete opposite side of the group and felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Gather towards me," the guide yelled over the current of whispers that waved over his audience. "I have a checklist here on who has registered for the tour inside the Chapellieur al' Dragoon. Still holding Yukari's hand, Hitomi finally felt a race of excitement before gently pushing her way through. A crude line formed in front of the small guide. With a shot of delight, she noticed the navy-capped man was second in line. He was going into the Dragon Cage as well.

"I see lover boy in rags is coming, too." Yukari murmured in her ear from behind and Hitomi's face blushed once more. Shooting her friend a good-natured glare, the auburn head smiled brightly. "Oh, come on. It's just a joke."

Glancing forward at the back of the stranger's head, she shifted her foot – the shoe he'd graciously put back on – across the ground, crushing some wild plants with the toe. The man leaned down to whisper his name to the mouse and the guide nodded importantly and gestured him to the right. Once there, he turned to stare at the Dragon Cage like it was a beautiful treasure he'd once thought he'd lost. Hitomi was knocked out of her study by Yukari's arm as she pulled her forward in line.

"You are always going to be a problem for me, aren't you?" her friend sighed dramatically. "Pay attention, will you? And I don't mean to _him_."

Shrugging good-naturedly, the short-haired girl kept her eyes away from the man as her turn came for the checklist.

"Alright, miss; you're not going to cause any problems for me in there, are you?" Mr. Heepie's usually pleasant squeak was clipped with a lower growl. She shook her head and he visibly relaxed. With a nod to the small clipboard in his hands, he raised his pen to find her on it.

"Tell me your name, please."

"Hitomi Kanzaki," she replied with an olive branch smile. She gestured to the auburn head beside her. "This is Yukari Uchida. She should be linked with me."

"Kanzaki... Kanzaki… Kan- here we go." The guide flipped two pages and put a small check on the board. "Alright, I've got your plus one marked right here. Off you go to your right, miss."

A swirl of something close to guilt laced through her at the mouse's agreeable politeness. Maybe she was a bit rude to have yelled at him. He was just doing his job after all. It wasn't his fault he didn't know any better. Wishing she was holding her comforting journal in her hands, she walked several yards towards the small group that was gathering under a massive yew tree growing quite a bit a ways from the Cage. The trunk almost as thick as the Chapellieur a' Dragoon was wide. Glancing up at the twisting branches, a dark foreboding washed over her mind.

"I guess you can talk now."

Hitomi glanced at her friend and then back at the tree. She nodded absentmindedly.

Yukari sighed audibly behind her. "Dare I ask what is on your mind now?"

"Do you know the significance of a yew tree?" she asked her friend quietly.

"No, but I'm sure you somehow do."

"A yew tree is usually found in graveyards. Despite the thickness in size, it's actually comprised of several small twisting trees all growing together. For some reason, they grow in a circle, making a hollow center. It is said that long ago, people buried their dead in yew trees so that their soul could live on to overlook the spirit realm. They believed the yew was a direct link to Gaea's life-force."

Yukari made a face. "They _buried _people in _trees_?"

Hitomi nodded seriously. "It was an ancient custom. It was only for those they considered gifted with wisdom." Her green eyes danced at the small dark holes inside the twirling bits of trunk. "I've never seen one so big before. Most of the yews that grow in Austuria are tiny and mistaken for weeds. The climate isn't very good for them anyway."

"You don't think someone is buried in that one, do you?" Turning to her nervous auburn-headed friend, Hitomi snorted a laugh and shrugged.

"Well, if there is, there's no reason to be scared. That person is probably long gone by now."

"What about the dead king? Do you think he's in there?"

"No," the short-haired girl shook her head immediately, surprised at her own conviction. But as she said the word, she knew it to be true. Van Slanzar wasn't in the yew tree.

Van Slanzar was lost.

Again, the words of her father's pen appeared in her vision: "_Do read a good old novel - Sweet little angel, yell every romantic sonnet. Things are not always as they seem. Be ready._"

"Be ready…" she whispered less to herself and more to the monster tree swaying gently in the cold breeze.

"Alright, everyone, leave your stuff in that crate over there and start lining up by the column near the doorway. Those of you not going in the Chapellieur al' Dragoon, head down the pathway to your left and you'll see one of the guards waiting for you at the castle. It was a pleasure being your tour guide today and I hope you will always carry what you learned here with you for years to come. History is a precious flower constantly spreading its pollen on fertile soil."

"I don't think he knows how flowers reproduce." Hitomi hissed to Yukari, unzipping the yellow pack and stuffing the journal up her jacket once more. Her friend let out a snort of undignified laughter as she took the backpack from her and walked over to the metal crate.

The small man waved farewell to the larger group that was slowly making their way down the crumbling path back towards the Winged Palace and turned swiftly on a heel to march to the expecting crowd. Clapping his thin hands together, he said, "Okay, okay! Now, just like the rules from before, please, no talking inside the Chapellieur al' Dragoon. I expect the utmost respect for this sacred ground we are about to enter. And now a brief history on what we are about to witness."

"Don't you say a word." Yukari murmured firmly to Hitomi and the short-haired girl made another motion of zipping her lips.

"The Chapellieur al' Dragoon, roughly translated "Cage for the Dragon", was where Fanelia kept its most prized possession: The Escaflowne. You may have seen several drawings depicting what the legendary Guymelef must have looked like from textbooks, but rest assured that the Guymelef was more fantastical than any artist rendition. The Escaflowne, built by the Isano's most prized engineers, was gifted to Fanelia. No one knows why the Ispano gave such a magnificent mecha to such a small, backwoods, country, but popular speculation believes the royal family was distantly related to the Ispanos. It is said the Guymelef had two forms. One is the usual Knight Frame that you are familiar with. The other…" he seemed to pause for dramatic effect. "… Was an actual flying-with-wings Dragon Frame."

Several people gasped and Mr. Heepie grinned proudly at their astonishment. Yukari looked at Hitomi for confirmation and she gave a tiny nod. The mouse continued, "The Dragon Frame is considered a myth by most modern Zaibachian historians. However, the Guymelef itself was very, very real. What you will see inside is a circular chamber smaller than even the rose gardens we just saw. But the thing you should immediately try to look for is the raised platform in the middle of the chapel. That is where the actual Chapellieur or 'Cage' was held. The walkway goes around the circle before heading back out to the very left over there." He pointed with a small, thin finger at the six-foot hole created by bits of fallen column that peeked out the side of the structure. "Take your time, but again I warn you," Mr. Heepie's voice went a notch lower. "The ceiling is very damaged and fragile. In and out, if you can. In and out. Once again, I'll remind you," He eyed a gentleman's camera that was dangling in his hands. "No pictures inside the Dragon Cage. All cameras need to be with your supplies in the crate." The man sourly turned away to stalk to the crate and drop the camera on his bag.

"Any questions before we head in?" Heepie's small beady eyes suddenly shifted to Hitomi as if daring her to speak.

Pursing her lips, she raised her hand and everyone – including Yukari – groaned.

"You can understand why I am hesitant to call on you, miss."

"I understand completely," Hitomi smirked. "I promise I won't bite this time."

The mouse-man was still suspicious as his eyes narrowed further. "Go ahead, then."

"I heard once there was a secret entrance to the Chapellieur al' Dragoon . The entrance branches through a series of hidden tunnels in the mountain, a maze of sorts that channel all the way back to the Winged Palace. Could that rumor true?"

The tour guide let out a loud sigh – probably of relief – and said, "I have never heard of such a thing, but it may be possible. It is unfortunate that we cannot investigate this claim any further. Most of the back wall has collapsed from rock slides. Any secret passageway is probably long gone. Now, if there aren't any more questions, please follow me to the opening walkway and I'll guide you in by pairs. Watch out for this last step near the entrance. It is a bit higher than the rest. I'll be at the doorway to make sure you all enter safely. "

Together, Yukari and Hitomi shifted into line. She watched with a frown popping on her cold face as the tour guide stopped the capped man from getting in line near the front. He pointed to the end with a dismissing brush of his thin fingers, and the long black-haired stranger visibly swallowed. His hands left his pockets to curl into tan fists. Just as she was beginning to wonder if he was actually going to physically punch the mouse-man, he turned on heel and lobbed down the lengthening queue. Her eyes caught sparking mahogany underneath the shadowy lid as he walked passed her and she resisted the silly urge to follow him.

"Hitomi," her friend whispered, shaking her head hopelessly noticing the short-haired girl's lingering stare. "Are you seriously interested in that guy?"

"N-no!" She answered too quickly, swiveling her gaze back to Yukari's brown before blushing lightly. "I'm just curious, that's all."

"Right," Yukari grinned. "Curious or obsessed?"

"I am _not _obsessed."

She snorted a laugh. "I've seen you obsess over your studies, your strange theories, your crazy backwards thoughts, and your father's journal for years. I _know_ what you obsessed looks like. I'm glad that it's actually a _person _you are obsessing about this time around, but did it really have to be the one oddball in our entire tour group? And what is with this creepy staring contest between the two of you. Really, girl," the auburn head put her hand on Hitomi's shoulder. "You can do better. Waaaay better. Take a good look at his clothes. He looks homeless."

Exhaling slowly, Hitomi took one more glance behind her, and as her eyes met his, the wash of sympathy raced into her. "No homeless man could afford tickets to a tour like this. I had to buy them years ago to secure us a spot."

"Trust me, I know. You haven't shut up about it since you bought them. Maybe he stole the tickets from someone."

"I ordered these through mail order. They have my information."

"Maybe he's stealing that person's identity."

Hitomi frowned. "Why are you so negative about him?"

"Why are you not?" Yukari countered. "He's a weirdo!"

"Lower your voice. He's not that far behind us."

Yukari blushed, but continued, "But really, what's your deal?"

"I don't know. He's just interesting, that's all…"

"Interesting?"

"Stop giving me that look!"

"What look?"

"The look that I'm doing something stupid."

"Since when have you cared whether I think what you do is stupid?"

"I've always cared…" She murmured under her breath as they started moving up the line to enter the long stone archway. Turning back to her friend, she sighed defeated. "Don't worry about it. I'll never see him again after the tour is over anyway." Despite the nonchalant way she had spoken the words, a pang of sadness hit her heart. She tried to scoff at her irrational feelings, but even her own self-assessment felt completely feigned.

Stepping up the overgrown steps, the mouse-man stood at the side, shepherding tourists through the deep archway. As the couple in front of them disappeared into the dark chamber, the tour guide turned to help both girls step up on the last step and immediately reached into his pocket, pressing hard on something with his right thumb.

His smile widened only a brief moment.

But mahogany eyes noticed.

There was silence, but not the feeling of drowning darkness. There was something else in the air this time. They walked together, following the red velvet rope, quietly glancing around the ruin. It was then that the blood drained from Hitomi's face and she caught Yukari's hand tightly in her own trembling fingers. A fierce sense of danger ripped down her body and she shivered violently with the encompassing fear. Warnings of an unknown enemy flickered in her head, but she didn't know where they could be from. The dark chamber, much like the Winged Palace, was lit only by the small lanterns illuminating the pathway. She stopped as a wave of nausea embellished her vision with winking stars and Yukari was pulled to a stop by their conjoining hands.

"What's wrong?" her friend whispered. Her brown eyes flicked over the degenerated chamber walls to the raised platform slowly coming into view at the center of the deathly quiet room. "We are almost there, Hitomi?"

Hitomi couldn't answer.

She didn't know the answer.

As she squeezed her green eyes shut and she felt a sour bile rise in her throat. She let go of Yukari's cold fingers and put her face in her palms.

"Whoa, are you okay?"

"I think I'm going to throw up."

"Do we need to go back outside?"

Lowering her hands from her eyes, Yukari's concerned expression was lost in the sea of voided blackness. Another twist of sickness rolled her stomach as the warnings flashed faster and more urgent. Something was coming.

Something… bad…

"Yukari, we have to get out of here."

"But you've been waiting to-"

"I don't care anymore. This is dangerous. We have to leave."

"I don't understand what's going on."

"I can't explain now. Or _ever_ maybe. We have to _go_."

"Are you sure?"

"Never surer of anything in my life."

There was a pause. The only sound was the pattering footfalls of the tourists all around them and Hitomi's heavy breathing.

"Okay, if you insist."

Turning around together, Yukari walked forward with Hitomi and led the way out the door. The sun was blindingly painful in her brown eyes and she heard a 'good gracious!' ring out from a startled woman about to enter. Clearing her vision with rapid blinks, she saw the expanding frowns of those waiting in line and flicked her head to give her insane friend a blaming glare.

"Hitomi?" Yukari said in immediate confusion, noticing her friend was missing. With a short gasp, the auburn head twisted and turned. Scanning wildly, tears of panic immediately hit her. "Hitomi?"

Brown eyes zipped to the dark archway and she turned to step back inside. Suddenly, the mouse guide blocked her way.

"Sorry, miss, I can't let you through."

"My friend is in there still."

The tour guide blinked in boredom at her panicked face and said through pursed lips, "I bet she got lost or wandered off the lighted path. Give her a couple of minutes."

Yukari shook her head vehemently. "No, no, we were coming out together!"

"I don't see her here, do you?" the mouse squeaked with raised eyebrows. He gestured to the other side of the Chapel towards the exit. "Stand over there and wait for her. She'll come out."

"I have to go back in."

"I'm sorry, but you are only allowed in once. You've already had your turn. There is still a line of people wanting to see the Chapellieur al' Dragoon." Yukari opened her mouth to argue, but the mouse cut her off. "Look, miss, she is in there. She'll come out eventually. Just wait patiently here and you'll see."

Eyes zipped right and left, Yukari was washed with helpless dread. Moving aside, she heavily crunched off the crumbling steps and her feet thumped safety on the thick swinging grass. Taking deep breaths to calm her worry-raging heart, the auburn girl made her way to the crevice that served as an exit for those leaving the Chapellieur. Her brown eyes flipped through the line of those still waiting to enter.

Her stomach gave a surprised jolt.

The ragged man was missing in the line.

* * *

**And done with chapter one. Whatcha think so far? Sorry if this chapter was a bit of an information buzz kill. I tend to have those kind of chapters from time to time when I'm starting a new story. This one is pretty thick though and if I want it to go smoothly and only be a couple of chapters long, I've gotta give all the information I can. **

**Any questions? Comments? Concerns? Hated it? Loved it? Why don't you let me know? I threw up while writing it, so I understand if it stinks. (Ha!)**

**Thanks for sticking with it regardless if you enjoyed it or not. I appreciate the support either way. **

**Happy New Year!... crap, that means I'm going to have to start fixing a valentine's fic too... oh, why did I do this to myself?**

**blue...**


	3. Chapter 2 - Out of the Frying Pan

**Everything has been planned and just needs to be typed. This story has come together very nicely, if I may say so myself. Personally, I can't wait to tell it. You go, imagination!  
**

**I've been heavily at work on this, touching Rutilus here and there, but hopefully I'll have something for that coming this week. I have had the fortunate opportunity to bounce some ideas off a friend and she's helped a ton with poking that particularly fickle muse awake. **

**But in the mean time, this one isn't too shabby. Check it out for yourself and I'll see you at the bottom. :)**

* * *

"…message from that mouse-bastard… thinks he's the…"

Her brain had fallen into a computerized reboot, complete with a humanoid system's update that took several seconds to load.

"The man said she… never mind how much. She doesn't… _woman_… stupid, don't you think?"

Groaning quietly, she finally registered the frigid stale air that snaked to her very bones.

"Why are you…? I never cared… in the first place. He _did_ have us catch a cute one though. Wonder if I can have some free time with her after she's interrogated?"

"I don't see any problem as long as you keep her quiet. Unfortunately, I'm sure she'll be executed once they get information out of her. You probably won't have enough time to do much."

"It won't take long."

Moving her body a little, she gasped lightly as several hard pebbles pressed roughly into the sensitive skin on her face and chin. To join that discomfort, a jolt of white-hot pain streaked through the back of her skull like a flare, inflicting waves of violent nausea that crashed like continuous oceanic surf in her head. Attempting to move her right hand to assess the damage to her skull, Hitomi's sore green eyes snapped open to see only darkness. Thick dizziness rushed hot in her vision and she swallowed the copious, vile fluid that coated the back of her throat.

"Yukari…?" Her voice sounded so weak; creaky, to her pulsating eardrums. It echoed faintly as if she was surrounded in a metal room- and with no reply. If her friend was in here with her, then she was probably out cold. Or maybe Hitomi was alone? There was no way of knowing for sure.

She yanked on her wrists again and let out a small whimper of pain as something thick and sharp clawed at her tender skin. Her fingers twisted and she felt an icy hard metal in-between her palms. She was tied to a pipe of some sort. The darkness voided any hope of her eyes adjusting to the room. It was pitched black. And frightfully cold.

"I can't believe Heep went through with it." Hitomi jumped, finally registering the voices outside her strange prison. "Honestly, I'm surprised the little guy had it in him."

"He's a rat. It's bred in his bones to be a devious little prick."

_Think_. She blinked slowly through the obscure darkness, trying to clear both it and the fog that encroached on the sides of her blind eyes. _I'm in the dark somewhere. There are voices outside. I don't recognize them. _She attempted to sit up slowly, but another ferocious flood of nausea made her press her face back into the pebble-incrusted floor. _Okay, new plan. Not moving. _With a deep breath, she tried to calm her swirling stomach and the growing knots of fear that angrily twisted her organs. Her trapped arms began to quake. Green eyes dancing in the darkness, she kept blinking; wishing fervently the black would recede just a little for her.

"So, she's from Austuria?"

One of them snorted a laugh. "That's right! _Austurian_. I bet she doesn't have any information at all and Heep's just gonna waste the big man's time interrogating her. Hopefully, the little smart-ass will get a well-deserved bullet in his smug face when they find she has nothing. Wanna make a bet on how long the interrogation is going to last? I say five minutes."

"Is that counting before or after she's executed?"

"Dude, _before_! I'm still hoping to get me a piece of that when they are done with her."

"I'm betting an hour or two. Heepie said she _knew _things. Things only the boss should know."

"Well, whatever it is, I can't complain. If she's Austurian, Fanelian, or from the crazy nomadic people with spikes on their faces - I'm a fan of _variety_."

"You're a fan of everything with an adequate bra-size."

It was an ice-cold shockwave the moment her jumbled brain finally put her current situation together. She had been taken. The painful throb in the back of her scalp served as a welcome gift from her kidnappers. She was tied up and stuffed somewhere with guards making sure she didn't escape. It sounded like she was going to be questioned… and then _killed_.

"Yukari?" Hitomi's voice was a little more than a shaky whisper. After the precious name bounced around only once in the frigid room, it fell unanswered. Her struggling mind reeled with the unsolvable questions: How long had she been out? Had Yukari been taken as well? Where was she exactly? Inside some kind of box? What would they ask her? Why did they want her? What was she to them? And, most importantly of all, _who were these people_?

The voices were male, whispering through deep throats that made it very easy to hear through the ringing silence. They were really placing bets on how long an interrogation would last? Interrogation about what?

_Sit up._ Hitomi gritted her teeth at the slab of panic and fear. _Sit up, you idiot. Sit up! _Shifting her curled legs slowly, she tried to lift her face off the rocking ground. The black world swirled like a roller-coaster, but at least she wasn't scraping her face anymore. Fatigued, she leaned heavily against what she could assume to be a cold metal box. The bone-chilling cold inflicted a terrible tremble in her arms and legs.

"I wonder how long they are going to have us stand here. She's not going anywhere."

"We will stand here as long as they order us to."

"I wonder if she's awake."

"Do _not _open that hatch."

"Man, chill, I just want another look at her. I barely got to see that figure in her thick coat when they carried her in. I bet she's a curvy one." A clinking jingle of keys rang softly muffled. Hitomi's heart clenched and she pulled her legs up to her chest for protection. Something hard pressed into her lower stomach under her jacket and she felt another spike of panic.

Her father's journal! They hadn't found it on her yet. Whoever they were certainly would find it if they searched her. The excited man outside sounded like he was ready to begin that process. Wishing she could hold the book in her arms, Hitomi tried to draw strength from the little remnant of her father.

She couldn't let them take this away from her.

"You're breaking orders! You should put those keys away!"

"Just one look, man! I gotta have something to hold me off until they are done with her."

The other man sighed very loudly through a whistling nose. "If you get caught with it open, don't rope me into it. You're the one the head honcho gave the keys to, so I'm off the hook."

"Yeah, yeah, calm down. I told you I was just going to _look, _right?"

Something in front of her snapped with a solid click. A loud grating screech made her teeth grit at the thorn-stabbing pain that rocked her head sickeningly. It was opening from the bottom like a hatch-backed freight truck. The minor illumination that flooded the room still burned her sensitive eyes, but at last she could see where she was. The room she was in was hardly big enough for her to fit. Filled with towering metallic boxes and strange barrels, she was tucked in the corner with a small, one-man crate carrier pressing her into the cold, rigid, tin wall. Tugging on her hands fruitlessly, she breathed shakily at the raw skin on her wrists. She was tied to the carrier and it was weighed down by those same heavy metal boxes. There was no way she could pull herself free and escape.

Wishing she could shield her watering eyes, she squinted as the thick hatch continued to heavily grade against the tin walls - and she finally saw the faces of her kidnappers. The man who was opening the light-proofed door smiled with a shadowed face. Her green orbs widened further as she focused on the multi-green uniform he was wearing. The lightning insignia on his right chest glinted like a living nightmare. The despairing terror that rocked her made her stomach hurl. Leaning over between her tied wrists, she finally vomited.

"Not the sexiest thing I've ever seen, but she'd definitely do." As she choked up more sour bile, she barely registered the Zaibachian guard making motions to enter her half-lit prison. "I don't know if I can wait, man. She's even crying."

"Dude, you're sick." Came the other low voice of the other man behind him. Tilting her head through the gap in her arms with tears streaming down her cheeks, she saw the disapproving frown of his comrade. "She even barfed on her lap. You have to touch it to get in her pants."

"I can handle dirty."

"I thought you were going to wait till after she's interrogated?"

"What if I never get another chance? You're right. They'll probably kill her as soon as they are done."

Tucking her face inside her trapped arms, she began to weep softly.

Two noiseless swishes, a loud thud, and a "_what_ the _hell_?" followed by another immediate swishing thud caused Hitomi to press herself even further against the metal storage that was serving as her prison cell. Keeping her eyes continually buried in the crook of her elbow, she felt a strange warm wetness dampening her shoes and pants. Looking up sharply, she let out a wild cry, pressed her back as far into the cold tin wall as possible, and covered her face again. The green-cladded man - who had just finished climbing inside - had fallen forward, blood spilling briskly from his severed neck. His head rolled further from the carrier and hit a thick barrel with a sickening bump. As the iron stench of blood washed over her and the lukewarm, black liquid soaked more of her pants, she gagged again, nothing to vomit, but enough to be sick about.

Light steps tapped gently up on the tin floor and she heard the quiet _shaaaalink_ of a sword either being drawn or sheathed. She could feel the stare like a silent shadow.

She couldn't lift her head.

She was paralyzed.

Biting her lip so hard it bled, she waited for the end. Whatever had decapitated that soldier was with her now. Walking casually forward as if it could wait forever before putting an end to her pathetic life.

It stood now.

Right in front of her.

_Dad... wherever you are. I love you. _Hitomi thought bracing herself for the inevitable blow. Clenching her fists, she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

More blood drenched her pants, right to her very skin. Suddenly, she felt a warm finger press on the back of her neck. Glancing up quickly at the touch, the last thing she registered before the darkness took her consciousness was a tattered baseball cap.

* * *

The first thing to sneak in through her oblivion was the smell.

Like a meadow. Only with a bit more of a wild side. A forest, maybe? Nah, not that wild. This was more contained, yet it was still – in its own way – free. Breathing a little deeper, she turned from her side to her back and a sharp pain shot from the back of her skull as the pressure hit it. A whimpering groan combined with a gag woke her completely as she rolled back to her side; the waves of nausea hitting full force on her empty stomach. Clamping her trembling fingers over her mouth, she leaned over the side of the strange, ragged bed she was lying on.

"Throw up if you can. It will not help the head, but maybe the stomach will settle."

She froze, her green eyes popping open immediately. She knew that voice… that accent. The flash of soulful eyes ripped into her memory.

Zipping her rocking vision forward, she saw the navy-capped man leaning easily against a hole-filled wood-paneled wall near a door that was hanging off its hinges. Flipping her eyes around the room, she scanned the torn small room for some sign of familiarity. Her breath became shorter as the realization hit her and the panic slowly set in. The man – who watched her with the ease of a large cat watching its prey - was still in his torn pants, but his jacket was gone. Standing in a loose gray t-shirt, his tan arms were crossed, his face shadowed by the bill of his cap. Glancing at the floor, she spied a loose board of wood lying on the ground between them and scrambled down off the bed to grab it. Her legs tangled in the thin blankets and she ended up tossing herself ungracefully to the floor. Pulling up to her hands and knees with black and white stars winking happily in her eyes, she grabbled blindly for the makeshift weapon, tightened her weak grip, and held it pointed at where she thought he might be.

"I am more to the left." The man's voice held a bemused tone. It increased her anger - and her terror.

Shaking her head to clear her blurred eyesight, she choked out, "Don't come near me! I'll beat you within an inch of your life!"

"What a fearsome warrior." The sarcasm burned.

"I want out!"

"You may want to cover yourself first."

"W-what?" Through her fog, she glanced down to see her legs bare all the way to her pink underwear. Only her thin white t-shirt covered what was left of her dignity. Sucking in her breath, she had only begun to let forth her scream of horror when the man was instantly right in front of her, forcing her injured head against the mattress of the bed; his warm palm affixed to her open lips. His other hand grasped the upraised wooden board, wrenched it out of her fingers, and tossed it over his shoulder where it clacked uselessly out of her reach. Green eyes wide with panic, she struggled against his hold, but he caught her firmly. Her exposed legs hopelessly pinned by his knees and calves.

"Stop-struggling," he hissed between his teeth as she tried to shake him off with her free hands.

Her fingers lashed out to his face, knocking his cap off his dark head. A prick of light brown eyes dashed with hints of red flickered into her; causing the unexpected wave of sadness and pity that momentarily froze her actions. His jaw was in a stern line; the tan skin of his face lined with simmering annoyance. He took her shocked moment to pin her hands together over her head.

_That_ woke her.

She fought with all her might against his grip; trying to free her hands. The raw skin from before flickered sore pain in her wrists and enveloped her brain with a wide-scale terror.

"Be-calm!"

Fighting against him with everything she had, she slid further down the side of the bed, her wounded skull hitting the mattress periodically with her struggles. She tried to bite his palm, but it was clamped so hard on her mouth, she was seeing black streaks in her vision from the throbbing agony in her head.

"You-are-going-to-hurt-yourself," he hissed shifting to straddle her stomach and stop her rocking hips. She slipped all the way to the floor and her wounded head collided painfully with the floor. Heat raced to her face as a shrill ringing in her ears blacked out her vision and her sense of awareness for a few seconds. Through her delirium, she continued to lift her hands to fight him while also fighting for consciousness. He trapped her fingers above her head once more, pushing them into the wooden ground. He leaned to her face and she blinked drearily.

"Do _not _scream. Your clothes are being washed by my servant. You had blood all over you. That is the reason you are not clothed properly. There is nothing to be afraid of here." He whispered the words fiercely, staring fully into her foggy orbs. His face was an inch from hers. She saw the bags of weariness under his bright eyes and her panic simmered. Noticing her attempts at catching her escaping breaths, he leaned away slowly, but still held her mouth and hands captive. "I will not harm you. You have my promise. Do not scream." He released her arms and mouth.

She groaned while a drilling spike of agony washed over her, sucked in a deep breath, and groggily asked, "Where am I? Who are you? What happened to those people? Did you kill them? Where's Yukari? Why did you-"

His leaned forward to cover her mouth again, this time a lot more gently. "You are in the house of Chordata, my most trusted servant and friend. She lives not far from Fanelia's borders, in-between Arzaz and the Felucca Plantation in the Dragoon Forest. You are safe." He released her mouth again. Hitomi's eyes locked on him just as he flicked his mahogany gaze on her. As their eyes met, the flash of pity returned full force in her stomach. His face was stern, strong, trained. But his eyes…

Those eyes…

"Where's Yukari?" She blurted out. A wave of dizziness made her break eye contact with him and she swallowed the pain down between clenched teeth. She was really starting to regret fighting him. He still sat on her, holding her legs still. More blood rushed to her face: this time for a completely different reason.

This was quite the awkward position.

"What happened to my friend? Is she here?"

"Chordata has found your friend's location. She is still in the custody with the Fanelian Police Department." His expression gave a flash of regret before switching to guarded neutrality. "I am not sure if she is in danger with them or not. They will question her, without a doubt, but it will be proven quickly that she knows nothing."

"What do you mean, 'question'? She's with the _police_? She didn't do anything. They can't take her without some kind of warrant!"

The man exhaled slowly. "Zaibach tried to take you. Why not your friend as well?"

"Are you saying she's kidnapped because of me?" Yukari's smiling face floated from her memories and she felt her eyes burn from tears.

"She is in custody with the Fanelian Police. They will not kill her unless they decide she has information worthy for the Zaibach Elite. If they can prove she knows nothing, then she will survive."

"How could this have happened? I was just here to continue my research."

"Very controversial research," the man remarked in a voice pitched lower than normal. It vibrated her stomach and set chills down her spine. Hitomi opened her mouth, but her brain focused with the word 'research'. Reflexively glanced down at her t-shirt, her heart squeezed in horror. "My journal! It was in my coat when I was in that metal place! Where is it? I have to have it-"

The man pointed a simple thumb to the door. "It is safe downstairs. I have been looking over it."

The rage at his blunt invasion of privacy made her want to start struggling again. "Get off of me!" She growled. Obviously taken back by her rampant mood swings, he complied; lifting his body elegantly with his athletic legs, and practically floating into a cross-legged place right beside her prone body. She pushed herself up despite her brain protesting loudly against her movements. Bracing herself with her hands, she shot him the best glare she had in her arsenal.

"How could you just _read _it!? That is private and personal and… and… you just _invaded_-"

"It is an astounding piece of work. No wonder you were so knowledgeable during the tour. Even the sketches of the Escaflowne were exquisite."

Hitomi's livid speech halted with the unexpected showering flattery.

"Do you know why Zaibach wanted you dead?" he asked.

"I-I..." She floundered, her brain jumbled for more reasons than one.

"You are strange. I never expected to find someone, who not only believes, but has dug for the truth and found actual _answers_. More than I have ever found. But you obviously don't realize how much danger you put yourself in. Your friend might be released, but Zaibach will be hunting for you." The short-haired girl's back straightened with anger, but he wasn't done. "Your knowledge about Balgus, about… the royal family… it was shocking. I wondered why that little mouse-man didn't have you taken when you first stepped into the Winged Palace." He let out a deep breath, his lips twitching upward. "And you stupidly travel to Fanelia and wave your discoveries to the world like a proud banner. You obliviousness almost got both you and your friend killed today."

"Who are you to say-"

"Who am I? I am the reason you are still alive." His mouth pressed into the straight line with disapproval. "So far, you have attacked me, yelled at me, and made me wonder what if I made the right decision bringing you here."

Hitomi bowed her head slightly with a burning rush of shame. "I… I guess I should thank you for that."

"No need. I saved you for my own purposes."

"What purposes?" She asked with a twitching eyebrow. His comment brushed away every ounce of shame she had and replaced it with irritation.

"Your book. The _journal _as you called it. I had to know what was inside."

"So, you spared my life only because of my research." Her voice betrayed her annoyance. The man's mahogany eyes narrowed.

"You are angry because of this?"

She crossed her arms with a huff. "Well, you'll be disappointed to know I didn't do any of the initial research anyways. Probably should have just left me to die."

He shook his head, "You know too much to be unimportant. The journal isn't yours?"

"This is my father's journal. I'm just continuing it."

"So, it's your father..." He raised a finger to his lips and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"My father told me his research was the most important thing he'd ever do in his life. You could say he abandoned his family for it." The man remained silent, so Hitomi continued. "He was gone a lot when I was younger, but he wrote to me often. Mom and him had divorced by then. His letters came from everywhere: Guitoma, Freud, even as far as across the Hissing Sea. I've studied his notes during that particular voyage and I think he was trying to find the last Atlantian civilization. He must have put himself through so much danger and stress, but he always wrote to me..." she faltered a bit, looking away from the man's studious eyes. "Father's last letter came from the very heart of Zaibach's capital city: Dorn. It was several months after that, his journal arrived in the mail with no return address. There has been no word from him for twelve years."

"Like father like daughter," He commented.

She shook her head. "Not at the beginning. I hated him for a long time after the letters stopped. It's been only about five years since I finally took courage and read through his journal. Reading his writing... it changed me. I decided to continue his legacy."

"Zaibach must have found where he was hiding and took him. He is dead," the tan man clarified bluntly. Her sore head bent and she focused blankly at her bare legs, which were still spread on the wooden floor. She shivered, feeling a cold rush up and down her back.

"Just like they took me?"

"Just like they took you."

"You really think he's dead."

"Why would they keep him alive to tell tales? They were going to kill you."

"And you killed them."

"To save your life."

"Why?"

"I have explained why."

She pressed her lips as another rise of frustrated anger churned in her already sour stomach. "I asked the right questions in the wrong place? Is that why?"

"Yes." His brow furrowed slightly and he continued to tap his tan finger to his chin thoughtfully; those mahogany eyes regarded her with a solemn examination like she was a delicate puzzle which he could only solve with his mind. "After thirteen years, four months, and twenty days…" He whispered under his breath.

"What?"

"You must rest," the man announced, his eyes sparkling with quick thoughts. She wished she could see inside his head. Whoever this man was, he was interested in her journal and didn't want her dead. Judging from the situation she'd been in before, this wasn't necessarily a frying pan into the fire scenario.

Actually, he was determined to protect her. That was a definite plus.

With a short nod as if finally coming to an agreement on a heavily inner-debated subject, he gestured to the bed behind her. "You will meet Chordata later. She is taking care of covering our tracks, so we cannot be followed. Your pants will be ready in about an hour. Take that time to sleep. I imagine you are still exhausted."

She was, but that didn't mean she was done with questions.

"Let me ask something." She stated simply, her green eyes narrowing studiously on his tan face. His eyebrows raised a fraction underneath his long hair.

"What is your name?"

The stranger's features lit up for a fraction, but the expression was gone in the second that it had come. "Names are of little importance."

"They aren't to me." She countered quickly. "You know all about my family and research. Now tell me something about you. It's not fair you get all the mystery."

He was still and quiet, contemplating. Finally he murmured, "There are some people in this world who believe with solid proof in their hands. There are others who believe with blind faith. Which one of those are you?"

Swallowing down a mix of wonderment and apprehension, she replied, "Both. It depends on the thing you are speaking about. But what does this have to do with-"

"What do you know of magic?"

She shook her head, still curious and fearful of where this conversation was headed. "Magic is extinct. Died with the last of the dragons centuries ago."

The man closed his eyes and sighed. "I thought maybe you would believe, but I guess not. You so readily denounced the Zaibachian Archives, I just assumed-"

"Believe _what_?" she interrupted with irritation. "I don't get what I'm supposed to believe here. You are speaking in riddles and about magic. I just asked a simple question. What is your name?"

"Chordata is the descendant of one of my very best childhood friends. I can only believe it was destiny that led her to me that day."

"Descendant?" She whispered the word, her green eyes wide with complete confusion.

The right corner of his mouth curved. Leaning to the left, he plucked his navy cap from the dirty floor and tucked it back on his head. "I was found in an alleyway in Fanelia, burning with fever. Chordata came to me and took care of me. She believed every word I told her." Hitomi remained quiet, the words tangling up her tongue. "This." The man reached down for the golden necklace tucked underneath his shirt. "This is what I meant by 'magic'." Lifting the necklace up over his neck, she saw a simple pink pendant hanging beautifully on the chain. He held it out for her.

"Nice necklace."

"It's the Escaflowne."

The seconds clicked by audibly as she processed.

"_WHAT_!" Hitomi yelped, scooting away from the man so that her back hit the bed. Climbing up into the ragged blankets, she pressed herself against the wooden-paneled wall and gasped heavily. "The _Escaflowne_! You're crazy! You are just plain _crazy_! This whole thing has gotten crazy! Give me my pants! I'm out!"

"It is the truth." The man stood slowly, everything graceful like a cat. It was then Hitomi could sense the dangerously lethal vibe coming from his smooth movements. He was so confident of every footfall, as if he'd calculated this moment so long and hard he could predict every irrational reaction from her. The memory of the headless corpse made her nausea burn her throat with bile. He took three steps closer to her and her heart jumped into a sporadic rhythm. Grabbing the blankets, she pulled them over her legs to her chest in a fruitless attempt at protection. He stopped; his eyes bright underneath the shadowy cap. "I woke in the alleyway. The stone was in my hand." He glanced down at the necklace; the golden chain dangling delicately from his tan fingers. "The Escaflowne and the Energist I had harvested for my dragon ritual had merged into one. Chordata thought I had lost my mind. But I knew what had happened. It was old magic. Magic that decided to save my life for reasons I have yet to discover. And in return, I saved you because you are my key to those reasons. I can feel it."

Her mouth was open, but she had no words. Her trembling fists clenched hard on the blankets. She was dreaming. That's it. Total dream. She'd wake up tomorrow and realize the pain in her skull was because she'd fallen out of bed sometime in the night and hit it on the ground. She'd awaken to Yukari grumbling safely in her hotel bed beside her. This entire messed up world would be behind her; dissipated into a faint nightmare that's she'd only recall on occasion.

The man swallowed and held out the pendant to her. "Touch it."

"I don't..."

"You will have my name and the proof to go with it. Just touch it."

Hesitantly, with shaking fingers, she reached out with her left hand to the small piece of jewelry that swung in lazy circles in the air. Her pointer finger tapped the small pink stone.

And it was gone. The room, the man with the cap, the bed she sat on, everything had been whisked away with a sickening swirl. And in its place, the world settled into a large round chamber. Looking up at the circular platform in the middle of the room, Hitomi saw a huge metallic oval hanging from the top of the ceiling. It was beginning to open like an egg as small beams of light burst from visible cracks. A young dark-haired man stood before it, his back straight, but his legs noticeably trembling. He thrusted something clenched in his right hand above his head. A loud explosion rocked the chamber and made her gasp in fear. The long columns quaked as yet another blast burst open a huge hole in the left side of the room. Turning back to the young man, scared for his safety, her stomach dropped into her knees.

The Escaflowne hissed as it landed with a trembling shake on the platform in front of the boy. The metal creaked, kneeling before him submissively. The boy reached back to yank something from a pedestal almost as tall as he was. A long sword scraped out of the top of the stone. Turning back to the huge white monster, he backed away and took a running leap onto the Guymelef's beautifully sculpted thigh. He plunged his right fist into the power core jewel and the Escaflowne let out another terrifying hiss.

The ceiling shook. The heat scorched her throat. Another eruption of violent rock and marble blasted the left wall completely apart. Paralyzed only to watch, she saw the boy bravely clamoring into the open cock-pit of the Escaflowne. As it shut him inside with release of steam, he swung the Guymelef's huge arm to release the hatch on its massive sword attached to its back.

She could practically taste the sting of death that surrounded the country. Distant wails of death rang like the explosions. Something caught her eye to the left and, as if in slow motion, she turned back to the cracked wall and let out a unheard scream. A mechanical arm floated visibly in the air from just outside the crack. It was pointed directly at the boy, a shimmering void surrounding it from behind.

Invisible enemies.

Stealth-cloak technology.

Hitomi could see it. The fury of flames that would protrude from the mouth of the arm and doom the boy to a fiery grave. Her burning eyes didn't catch a large man entering the chamber until he leapt like a bear defending her cub. His massive sword crunched through metal and gears; slicing the hidden Guymelef's arm completely off.

"Balgus, no!" She heard the boy scream from the Escaflowne. The white Dragon Armor took a thundering step forward.

"Take the Escaflowne and flee, Your Majesty! You must! I will buy you time!" The man's deep voice roared out through the continued blasts. The chamber was coming apart. As the warrior launched himself yet again to the invisibly enemy and plunged his weapon inside the cock-pit of the Guymelef, it burst with a silver metallic liquid, which bubbled and hissed. Another tremor rocked. The columns at the back collapsed. The older man – still perched on his fallen adversary looked to his left suddenly as another crumbling gap appeared in the walls.

The man's large, strong body was knocked away as easily as a tossed doll. The penetrating metal shot burrowed deep into his scarred face. As he fell, she vaguely heard the boy's scream of rage and agony. This was too much. Why was she seeing this?

Wanting to cover her ears from his cries, wanting to escape this horror she was witnessing, she still couldn't stop herself from watching the beautiful Guymelef take several more stumbling steps off the platform, its long red cape billowing in the fiery breeze. Another bursting shake, more rocks and marble crumbled to the ground. The chamber was about to collapse.

A sparking smell of ozone instantly sizzled with the poisonous vapors of the raging fires. She joined her scream with the boy as a large beam of light blasted into the chamber like a thunderbolt and landed with a ferocious illumination all around the boy and his Guymelef. She had to cover her eyes from the sheer brightness and it still burned her underneath her eyelids.

And then it fizzled out, the world grew dark behind her closed eyes. Opening them swiftly, her heart pounded with the falling debris.

The boy and the Escaflowne were gone.

And only a small echo from the boy's screams remained.

She felt like she was being pulled out of a thick liquid, her body yanked violently backwards. The vision swirled with a sickening mix of colors before settling into the wood-paneled room she'd left. The pendant suspended near her fingers, her green eyes immediately filling with burning tears.

"Do you know who I am?" The man stood with his feet planted firmly on the ground. His eyes shadowed by his cap. She stared up at him, several tears escaped down her cheek, and nodded.

"Do you believe me now?"

She nodded again.

"Escaflowne has shown you the truth. I have been trying to search for the answers about why I survived, why I was taken here, to this _time _of all places, but I… I realized long ago I cannot do this alone. When I saw you, I just knew." He lowered the pendant to his side and swallowed visibly. Then the man lifted his other hand and whipped the cap off his head. Her breath caught.

"Will you help me?"

He dropped to his knee so unexpectedly she let out a small squeal and pressed her back into the wall once more. As he bowed his head, his shaggy black locks draped to covered his face. She looked him over. The knees in his pants were worn with wear and tear. His t-shirt was slightly untucked and wrinkled. She saw a brown stain on the side of his pants and remembered the two men he killed to save her.

And yet he bowed to her with the grace of a prince.

No, a _king_.

"I will." The words escaped her throat without another thought. His head raised back up to her quickly and the side of his lip curled again.

There were many things that had happened to her since she had awaken from her hotel bed. Many events she couldn't explain even if she tried. So much information had been tossed in the air, and even without the help of her damaged skull, she'd probably _still _have issues understanding it all with perfect clarity.

But there was one thing she understood without any doubt in her mind. She understood why the feelings of pity and sadness were so strong every time she looked at this man.

"I will help you, Van Slanzar de Fanel."

* * *

**So... be honest, who didn't see that coming? No seriously, I'm actually curious because I tried to make it not too obvious, but I feel like it so totally was. Maybe that's just me. Whatever, cat's out of the bag now - or so the cliche goes. **

**Like I said at the top, this story is all planned and its a pretty good one. I hope you guys like it because _I _think its got some potential to be pretty great. A lot of mysteries are coming your way, so be excited. There is a song tied to this story if any of you want to get a glimpse at what I'm listening to when I write. It's 2-1 by Imogen Heap. You might even recognize a couple of words from the song in the story. It's fantastic.  
**

**Well, better get back to Rutilus.**

**Thank you for reading. I would love to know your thoughts...? ;)**

**blue...**


	4. Chapter 3 - A Personal(ity) Issue

**This is shorter than I wanted. I would have typed more, but I felt like it was okay to end it here. Not much action, but definite conflict happening. That was super fun to write! Geez, I like this story so much! And it is definitely looking to be longer than Racing. Probably by quite a bit. **

**Thanks for reading guys! After this, I'm giving my brain a day of rest. It has had quite the workout lately. I'll probably be spending the time off writing for Valentine's Day. lol!  
**

* * *

Chordata was a pure white cat.

Hitomi tried not to look at the older lady's beautifully groomed, fluffy tail, but it was severely distracting the way it swished back and forth lazily against the back of her legs like a pillowy pendulum. Sitting up from the bed, she brushed a hand over her weary eyes and noticed her pants folded and tucked underneath Chordata's furry arm. The cat's amber eyes skimmed on her face and Hitomi immediately felt the urge to brush her flyaway short hair in the wake of this perfectly groomed lady.

"Master Fanel is waiting for you, My Lady." Chordata's voice was as soft and light as her fur. "He has requested you hold off on food for today due to stomach reasons, but here is something to drink." Procuring a glass of water, she handed it over and Hitomi's headache subsided slightly with every gulp. Draining the glass, her empty stomach gave an embarrassing roar. The cat looked sincerely saddened.

"Where can I find him?" Hitomi asked, handing the empty cup back.

"In the living room down the stairs. I apologize for the state of this room. I was unaware Master Fanel was bring a house guest until you were already in the bed." Her beautiful eyes brushed to the room with an expression of distaste. "I am Chordata. Please, let me know if there is anything else you require, My Lady."

"Call me Hitomi, and thank you, Chordata." The short-haired girl smiled politely, remembering her manners.

The white cat gave a short elegant bow. "Master Fanel would wish me to call you something respectful for you are a welcomed guest under his roof. But I mustn't delay you. Here are your trousers."

Chordata left with a flourish of fluffy white fur. Standing up, Hitomi's legs felt rubbery and she had to brace herself on the wall to pull up her pants. Heading out the door, she crept to the winding staircase and made her way downstairs.

A sliver of cold raced up and down her arms as she stepped carefully and silently off the last stair on to a brown shaggy carpet. She crossed her arms over her thin shirt and shivered in the room; her green eyes focusing with longing on the comforting, crackling fireplace to her right. Small, fuel-powered lamps along the walls let out little spots of golden light that seemed to wage war with the shadows of the sparsely furnished living room. A small love-seat sat in front of the fire, the happy quilted design hardly matching the dark-wooded foundation.

Unthinkingly pushing her cold toes against the soft fibers under her feet, she scanned the room for a navy cap and found what she was looking for almost immediately. The man was standing perfectly straight to the far left, his back facing her. He was still in the same ragged pants and gray shirt she'd last seen him in. A long folding table covered with thick volume books and scrolls, scattered with papers and various writing utensils, stood in a proud mess in front of him. As she studied the table a little further, she noticed a navy pommel connected to a long thin sheath lying on top of several stacks of paper; acting as a very sharp, antique paperweight. Her green eyes focused in and out as the image of a headless corpse made her head pulse weakly. Four large windows, full of dark night, displayed the loudly swaying trees just outside the small wooden hut. The chilly night raged with a blustering ferocity against the creaking wooden house and it groaned at the onslaught. Taking several steps closer to the fire and wishing she had a cup of tea and two aspirin, her clean, slightly damp pants instantly began to soak in the welcomed heat.

"How was your rest?" His unexpected question pierced the quiet and made her freeze mid-step. Flipping her green eyes back to his silhouette, she could see his tan fingers gripped around a small book that was raised to his nose.

Her journal.

"It was fine," she answered stiffly, straightening and holding her chin a little higher. He was helping himself to her notes again. A quiver of irritation ran down her spine.

"Are you sure about that?"

Her eyebrows conjoined together in a frown. "Yes."

"You're lying," he returned, flipping a page gently with his thumb.

"I slept perfectly fine."

"You did not sleep at all. More accurately, you tossed and turned. You even cried a little." He closed her book gently and set it on the table, but didn't turn around to face her. "It is understandable. You are having trouble coping with what I have told you."

Her mouth open and she stared openly at his stoic back. A sharp blush flashed on her cheeks. "How-how do you-"

"Your voice is thick, yet you did not have nor possessed the beginnings of a cold when I last saw you. You also shivered as soon as you entered this room due to a weakened immune system and lack of energy. Your feet dragged a bit on each step on the way down."

She cocked her head and her bangs fell slightly in her face. Uncrossing her arms despite the chill, she squared her shoulders. "Do you make it a habit of analyzing every single thing?"

Grabbing a blank sheet of paper from a large random stack and catching a cheap pen that almost rolled off the table top, he nodded. "I am still alive because of it." He bent forward and wrote something quickly. "And so are you." Stopping for a second, he thought for a moment before jotting more words on the paper. Reaching over, he flipped open her journal tenderly to a place he'd obviously marked beforehand.

She winced inwardly. She _was_ lucky to be alive because of him.

But that didn't mean he had to rub it in every single time she saw him.

"So, what now, then? You make me swear to help you, but I don't even know where to begin. And what exactly am I helping you with?"

"Why I was brought here," he answered simply.

"You said it was because of magic."

"I know what I said. The detail you skipped was '_why_'.What do you know of magic?"

Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. "Magic was more fortune-telling than real spells. Visions of the future-"

"Or the past." He interrupted quietly. "What else?"

"I don't know. Like I said before. It's extinct."

"No," the long black hairs on the back of his neck wagged as he shook his head. "It is still here."

"How are you so sure?"

Turning his head to her for the first time, she could see the dark circles around his eyes even in the shadow of his hat. He lifted a long finger and beckoned her. Against her better judgment, she stepped closer to the table and caught a glance at what he'd written on the paper.

_Do read a good old novel_

_Sweet little angel, yell every romantic sonnet_

_Things are not always as they seem._

_Be ready_

His handwriting was immaculately perfect. Every loop, every curve done with lovely penmanship. He straightened up, placing his writing utensil delicately on the table. Turning towards her, standing tall and strong, the historian couldn't help but feel intimidated by this man. He looked like a mad man, his ragged garbs and scraggly black locks, but the way he positioned his body, his steady hands and firm jaw, his confident demeanor…

"How am I sure? Because you came here. With this." He motioned to her journal.

"Are you saying magic brought me to Fanelia?"

"There is a high probability it led you here to help me," he answered clearly, no doubts in his eyes.

"To help you? The lost King of Fanelia? _Me?_"

"Yes, in fact, this may be the purpose you were born for."

She shifted with the wave of irritability. "A bit self-centered, aren't we?"

"I am entitled to be. I am a king."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I know you believe in magic, Your Majesty-Fanel-er…"

"You may call me Van."

"Right, but you have to understand. Magic has become a mystery, an enigma of sorts. People have tried for centuries to bring magic back. There are those who claim to be touched by magic, to have visions of the future, but they always prove to be frauds. Scientists have even tested various blood samples of people whose ancestors _carried_ magic in their genes. It… just doesn't exist anymore." His blank expression shifted and he visibly swallowed; the lump in his tan throat jumping up and sliding down. "Everything from your time is fading. The only dragon hearts we have left are in museums and hardly have enough juice in them to power a _stereo_, let alone a huge Guymelef." The girl sighed, raising a cold hand to rub the back of her neck. "I'm sorry if I don't understand what exactly magic is. It isn't an area I'm familiar with."

"You believe I came to your timeline with magic, and therefore, you could not believe what you are saying." He said lowly. Hitomi blinked and opened her mouth, but he interrupted her. "Your eyes have brightened considerably since we started talking about magic. Your cheeks have gained more color and you are no longer shivering. The angle of your body suggests you are trying to prove what you say is true, but you have your right foot curved out away from your body." He pointed at her feet and she immediately changed her stance.

"So what if my right foot is out?" She asked defensively.

"The left side is analytical, tactical. Your right side- imagination, creativity, _intuition_ is trying to step away from what you are saying. You rubbed your neck with your left hand, unintentionally attempting to strengthen your logic and push away something that defies it. But…" His mahogany eyes contracted at her with severe examination and she took a step back from his intrusive stare. "You have either had visions before touching the pendant or unknowingly dealt with magic in your past. You are lying to yourself without realizing it."

"_Lying_ to myself? What the hell are you talking about?" She asked incredulously.

"It is written all over your face."

A hot rush of rage ripped through her and she clenched her fists against him. "_No_, what is written on my face is _anger_! You don't know the first thing about me! Just because I stuck my right foot out suddenly I've been lying to myself all my life?"

"And I have made you irrationally cross again." His tone was impassive, bored even. She held down the violent urge to kick him in the shin.

"You pompous, arrogant, _jerk!_ Who do you think you are? You might be a king where you are from, but here, you are king of _nothing_!"

"Insults do not work on me and I do not have time to deal with your mental issues right now. Why did you write these words in several pages of the journal?" He gestured to the paper.

"What? You can't figure it out from my wiggling eyebrows?!"

"I said I do not have time for-"

"Well, I think we can set aside a moment for an apology!"

Van's lips twitched thoughtfully, "I agree. You may begin at any time."

Her mouth dropped open with disbelief. "Not _me! YOU!_"

He frowned, not in annoyance, but confusion. "What do I have to apologize about? I was simply speaking my mind, and if I remember correctly, _you _were the one insulting _me_ just now."

She let out a frustrated growl and turned away from him waving her hands in the air. "No more! No more! I can't take this! You are completely insufferable."

"You know I am right. I can tell because you-"

Hitomi whirled around. "_Stop_ analyzing me! If you must read into every single batting eyelash, do so _silently_. I can't handle you spouting out what I'm secretly feeling inside. If I'm here to help you then you need to learn personal boundaries. It is _not _okay to speak your mind every single time."

He was silent for a full minute. Finally, he released a low breath. "Maybe I was a bit careless."

"And I was a bit temperamental." She acknowledged, stifling her anger with their mutual declarations of peace. "You will stop, right?" Green eyes laced into mahogany and she was struck once again by how tired he looked. He gave another visible swallow and one short incline of his head. "Excellent," she forced a smile. "Now what was your question again?"

"Will you tell me the significance of these words?"

Glancing at the paper, he backed away so she could stand closer to the table. "That is what my father used to write at the end of his letters to me. They are the last thing he _ever_ wrote to me. I've always felt they were important, but I can't figure out why. I don't know any romantic sonnets. I have plenty of novels, but-"

"Dragon Slayers."

Hitomi was stunned to stuttering words. "W-w-what?"

The king reached out and pointed at each word like she was a child. "'Do-read-a-good-old-novel'. The first letter in each of those words spells Dragon. 'Sweet-little-angel-yell-every-romantic-sonnet'. Slayers. He was telling you 'Dragon Slayers'. Why was he writing that to…?" The man faded off as he saw the tears beginning to trail gently down from her brimming green eyes. Keeping his feet planted firmly on the floor, he breathed steadily as if readying himself for a battle.

She let out a choking sob and lifted her hands to cover the bottom portion of her face. Her mind was in a hot dance of disbelief and frustration.

All this time. _All this time_ she'd been asking herself the questions of what those precious words could possibly mean. And within the span of a few hours, this _stranger_ just waltzed into her life and figured it out. No help from a research tome. No quick scan on the internet. Hitomi felt her humiliated tears rolling from her cheeks down to pool in the palm of her hands. How could she have been so stupid? Of course, her father would have hidden a message in there. Of course, there was more to this than it seemed. But _years_ of trying to figure out the cryptic message and it was something so simple. So stupidly _easy…_

"Your father must have thought you would figure it out eventually." The short-haired girl sobbed harder. Van swallowed again, his brain attempting to read how to rationally deal with her onslaught of weeping. "You must know what it means. Is Dragon Slayers anywhere in the book?" He reached around to pick up the journal and tried to hand it to her.

Much to his supreme displeasure, she wasn't to be distracted. Turning on heel, she swiftly raced to the staircase and bounded up the steps like a howling banshee. Her passionate retreat scattered a few of his loose papers and he leaped forward to catch them before they blustered to the floor. Holding the messy stack steady in his strong hands, his mahogany eyes closed for a brief moment.

"Escaflowne preserve me." He murmured. After making sure the papers were secure, but before he could logic himself out of it, Van grabbed the sheet he'd written on and he turned to follow her up the stairs.

* * *

The room was dark, but it fit her just perfectly. Slamming the squawking door, she threw herself on the small bed and curled into a ball, her tears soaking into the hard pillow beneath her pulsating head. Flashes of her haughtily telling off the tour guide, words dripping with knowledge that she herself never researched, spouting off lines from her father's journal like they were her own. More tears leaked out of her puffy eyes. She was a complete _idiot_.

Dragon Slayers… Van Slanzar de Fanel, the time-misplaced king, figured it out so easily. Everything seemed to be so decipherable to him. She felt as if her entire body was exposed, torn open, skin peeled back wide for his quick, exploring eyes. All of her inner thoughts dissected by one small gesture she made or one twitch of her shoulder or turn of her head. How was she supposed to help this person? She couldn't even solve the simplest of riddles! She'd had her father's words for so many years never even _thought _to try an acronym. Turning to lay on her back, she lifted a hand to wipe her eyes.

Well, sitting here crying about her lack of mental prowess wasn't going to help anyone. Taking a shuddering breath, she sniffed back the mucus in her nose and tried to blink away the blooming headache that was spreading its painful petals over her forehead. If the first part of her father's message was an acronym, then what about the rest of it? She sighed thickly and wished for a paper and a pen. Maybe there was something…

She sat up with a thoughtful frown and sniffed again. _Things are not always as they seem…_

"Uh, are you okay?" Van's low voice resounded coolly outside her closed, broken-hinged door. She heard him rap his knuckles softly. "Am I permitted to enter the room?"

Exhausted, drained, and starved, she glanced at the door with a simmer of dread. Hitomi knew she'd made a right idiot out of herself downstairs. Pushing a trembling hand through her short locks, she mustered up the last of her energy to brace herself for the analytical man-monster and muffled out, "Enter."

The handle to the door turned slowly and the wood squeaked loudly against its bent hinges. Van pushed it open with a sturdy hand and took a couple of steps inside. His mahogany eyes immediately zeroed in on her, flipping from her messy hair to her curled toes. Hitomi wondered briefly what he was reading from her body language, and then, with an inward scoff, she decided she didn't care.

"I have a clear understanding as to why you are upset." He started briskly, standing like an imposing soldier at her doorway. His straight back and sullen expression made her fight a weary smile that wished to spread on her lips.

God, she felt like she was going insane.

"Why am I upset?" She asked, blinking through the fog in her the side of her vision.

"You have requested I do not announce my thoughts. I was respecting your wishes."

"Humor me just this once."

Van's hat tipped a bit to the side and he blinked several times before complying. "I have taken into account the amount of stress a normal adult human body can handle in a day and compared it to the amount you have been through in the past twenty-four hours and I have come to the conclusion that you are shutting down mentally and physically. Seeing you sit there now, I deduct you are tapping into the basic instinct of fight versus flight. The flight was your running upstairs. Now that you are cornered, fight has come into play. Your legs, which are curled to your chest for protection, are the strongest and most lethal part of your body. Your eyes." He stopped for a moment, his sharp gaze slipping over her face. "Your eyes are obviously heavy-lidded from crying, but also from the trauma, lethargy, and uneasiness. I have decided you are no use to me until you get some proper rest. You will sleep for the night and replenish your energy with breakfast in the morning."

"Did you bring that paper you were writing on?" She zeroed in on his hand and made moves to get off the bed.

"I have commanded you to rest." The king said swiftly. "Your mental capacity is unable to-"

"That's nice. Let me see the paper." She interrupted. Hitomi swung her legs over and disobediently crossed the wooden floor closer to him. She held out her hand expectantly and he tucked the paper around his back.

"I have _commanded_ you to rest." Van frowned underneath his cap as she tried to reach around him and snatch the paper. He danced elegantly to the right to avoid her.

She ignored him and moved to catch him off-guard to the left. He dodged her easily again. "'Things are not always as they seem', right? What's the acronym for that?" He lifted the paper in the air above her head and she jumped for it.

"T.A.N.A.A.T.S, but this is not what we are-"

"Okay, that doesn't make sense… maybe that isn't… an acronym, but something else… Maybe it has to do with… Dragon Slayers…What are your thoughts…?" She let out a panting groan each time she leapt for the paper. He held it effortlessly out of her reach.

"I think you should stop." The black-haired man announced with a wince as she pounced accidentally on the toe of his shoe. "Your body cannot handle the physical exertions you are forcing upon it."

Pausing in her fruitless jumping, she gave him a cross look. "I'm _fine_!"

"You are far from fine. Arguing with me one moment, crying the next. I have commanded you to-"

"I am not someone you can just boss around because you are a king! I am Austurian born with rights and privileges given to me from a democracy. And I will go to bed on my own terms. Not just for political justification, but because I am also a grown-up!"

"A grown-up jumping and down for a piece of paper?" She leaped again and he scowled. "Are you aware you are quite frustrating?"

"Yukari calls it 'crazy'." Hitomi panted, her legs beginning to feel shaky. Bracing her hands on her knees, she shook her head blinking out the spots. She raised a trembling palm for the white sheet still held over his head. "Give me the paper."

"Go lay down."

"_Give me the paper_."

"Go lay down first." He closed the gap and grabbed her upraised fingers. Pulling her with a tight grip – and with weak resistance – to the bed, she couldn't even fight as he pushed her over and she tumbled into the old blankets. Setting the paper down beside her pillow, he bent down and lifted her legs onto the bed. She was instantly reminded of how he'd bent to his knee to tie her shoe right after he'd knocked it off during the tour. He was good at reading people. Really good. A shiver of embarrassment made her blush as he straightened the covers over her body.

He probably noticed – just like now – her blushing face and racing heart. Thankfully, he really wasn't as intuitive as he declared to be. He thought her crying was a physical and mental issue. While those did factor in a big part, her outburst had been more emotional than anything else.

Wondering tiredly at his dedication to tying her shoe perfectly, his same commitment to making sure the blanket were long enough to cover her bare feet, she yawned audibly. He had told her he'd saved her life because of her notes and her knowledge. Mentally shaking her head, she chided herself. She'd been dumb enough for one day.

Tomorrow, she'd show him what she was made of.

"You have your paper. We will talk in the morning." He turned to leave, strolling to the doorway with long steps.

"I will help you figure out why you are here. I promise." He stopped, but kept his back to her. Reaching over, she rested the fingertips of her right hand on the words of her father and the impeccable writing of Van Slanzar de Fanel. "Father wanted me to be ready, always to be ready. Maybe you are right, Van. Maybe I'm supposed to be ready to meet you. Maybe I destined in this world to help you…" Her voice trailed away as oblivion set in to her cleared mind.

The dark-haired man paused to grab the door knob. Glancing back to the sleeping woman, his mahogany eyes examined her peaceful face, instantly counting her deep breaths and catching the flutter of her dreaming eyelashes. Then he focused on her small fingers lying helplessly still on his penned words.

Stepping out into the hallway, he shut the door to her room.

* * *

**Like I said before, it was a shorter chapter than I originally planned. I still feel like I'm establishing personalities. Of course, we will meet more characters along the way, so that is a never ending process. You really didn't know Van though. I have to admit, he is more Sherlock Holmes than I thought. I actually kind of like him that way. As it is slightly proven, he really doesn't possess very good social skills. Now you see why I'm excited to write this story? lol!**

**Thanks for reading! It means so much that people are still sticking with the story! **

**Have a good one and hope to see you next update!**

**blue...**


	5. Chapter 4 - The 'Useless' Discovery

**Here's a long chapter! And MAN was it fun to write! I would have had it finished and out last week, but this weekend was beyond crazy. I FINALLY MOVED OUT OF MY PARENT'S PLACE! I'm 15 minutes away from work and life could not be better! Also, I got two new parakeets named Buttercup and Sprinkles. Just a little side note.**

**I know you guys have been waiting for the chapter, so here you are!**

* * *

The first bite out of the perfectly toasted bread caused Hitomi's empty stomach to groan with pleasure. Sitting slouched forward on a wicker chair with her elbows braced on the dark wood of the excessively crowded dining table, she saw out of the corner of her left eye as Van's tan hand reached out from a small hole between the stacks of books and papers to slide several importantly marked sheets further out of her way. Chordata hadn't put a plate of her delicious breakfast in front of him. Hitomi wasn't surprised in the least. She hadn't seen him sleep yet – he'd been awake and reading a geography map when she came downstairs early that morning - so how could she expect him to join her for breakfast?

Maybe saturating in every little detail of life was his nourishment – like a demon who fed off the awkward discomfort of others.

Her attention was absorbed in her plate, but her thoughts turned to Yukari and how much her friend would understand the care taken into this breakfast. If Yukari was sitting here beside her, she'd comment on how crispy the bacon was or how carefully over easy the eggs were without the yokes breaking or… A pang of worry caused the food to travel a bit more thickly down Hitomi's throat. Granted, she didn't have a lot in common with her best friend when it came to interests, but Yukari was one of those people she could depend on even through the eye rolling complaints. Van had said she was in the care of the "Fanelian" Police, but that didn't help matters much if Yukari was accused of retaining important information. What if they actually _were _torturing her? What if she was already… dead?

And it was her fault for dragging her friend here. For making such a scene at the Winged Palace.

"You are eating too slowly. Do you not like Chordata's cooking?"

The heavily loaded fork stopped right at her open lips. Her green eyes flicked up, but he was still hiding behind the multiple towers of books.

"It's actually really wonderful. I noticed you aren't eating any of it though." She answered stiffly.

"I am not hungry at the present moment. Once you finish your breakfast, we will discuss our next course of action."

"So, you understand what Dragon Slayers mean?" Hitomi asked with surprise around another mouthful.

"I refuse to talk about important matters during mealtimes." She could just picture his lips curved downward into a shadowed frown of disapproval. It made her want to stuff her mouth further in retaliation.

"So, you _don't _understand what Dragon Slayers means and you just want to avoid the subject?"

When he didn't reply to that, she swallowed down her smirk with another bite. With the feeling that she'd finally won a round with this impossible man, she grabbed her glass of gloriously refreshing orange juice and drained half of it in one go.

An increasingly uncomfortable silence befell the table. Besides Hitomi's quiet chewing and the periodical crinkle of pages turned by Van's careful fingers, the small birds outside the tall windows only dared to break the muteness in the increasingly stuffy living room. What was he planning over there? Was he any closer to figuring out his big magic mystery? And honestly, how was she supposed to help anyway? What was the point when he had all the information he could ever want in the form of her father's old journal? His mind was like constantly raging river; slipping from one thought to the next without a moment's pause.

Finally, after three minutes, she couldn't take it any longer.

"What are you thinking?" She blurted out, dropping her fork with a loud clatter on the simple white plate.

"I told you to finish your meal."

She pushed from the table and stood from her chair. Boldly leaning over the tower of mess, she finally saw him; his familiar hatted head and messy black hair bent over the table as he scribbled letters on another blank sheet of paper. Propped open with the help of three other books, her journal sat not far from his reaching distance. His beautiful hand-writing had just finished the letter 'M' with a swirling flourish. He'd written S.E.T.S.S.Y.M.

"What's that from?" she asked curiously, leaving her chair to move closer. Her hip knocked clumsily against the sharp edge of the heavy laden table and she held back a hiss of pain. His mahogany eyes leapt up in alarm and she instantly translated it for worry about his precious mess - which was so cumbersomely heavy not even _one_ paper was disturbed by her painful encounter. Standing swiftly from his chair, he leaned his tall frame over the exquisite stacks from left to right making sure each book and paper were in its proper disastrous place. With a rigid jaw and a mahogany glare of deadly solemnity, he murmured, "Please watch where you walk. I have everything organized by date, reference, and location on this table and it would be an inconvenience to have just one book out of place."

She almost knocked the table again just out of spite. "_Organized_?" She scowled, lifting a hand to rub the throbs of her future bruise. "It looks like a library threw up. Maybe you should move some stuff and I wouldn't have to be a danger to your preciously systematized junk."

He ignored her comment and sat back down. Lifting his pen, he asked. "You have concluded your meal, I presume?"

"Done for now. Is this something to do with dragon slayers?" She gestured to his paper and he shook his head sharply at once.

"No. It's the ending letters in 'things are not always as they seem'. I decided to try different approaches with the words as a possible code. Your father hid two full words in an acronym. Chances are high there is more in his message. Maybe one that will lead me to figure out what he meant."

"Setssyeum? Setssyum? This clearly isn't any language I've studied. In fact, I don't even think I can pronounce it." She shrugged, taking several steps closer to hover over his right arm. "Don't you think you are reading too much into this?"

"No such thing." He countered immediately, straightening his back importantly. She stifled a laugh behind his head. Van really didn't realize how easy he was to read. It was obvious he had no idea what dragon slayers meant.

It was probably _killing_ him to figure it out.

"By the way, this is kind of a random question, but how did you get past the Zaibach to reach me last night? Did you sneak in?"

"You could say that." He answered quietly.

She waited several minutes for him to embellish, but he sat still, his eyes periodically dancing from her journal, to a large open book at his left, and back again. Her green eyes flipped patiently over the titles of a small stack next to her right hand. There were all about various vegetation grown in the southern region of Fanelia. Why would he possibly try to find answers studying fauna in his own country? What a weirdo.

"You're not going to tell me more?"

"Do you need to know more?"

"I would like to hear it, yes."

"It is not something I wish to discuss as of this time."

"And why not? I think it's important."

"You think it is important because you do not understand the concept of personal boundaries and cannot handle your own curiosity."

"You are one to talk about _personal_ _boundaries_." She quirked an eyebrow.

"I have not noted your barely concealed loathing for me. I respect your wishes for your privacy."

"No, _you _just don't comment on it."

"And that is my way of respecting it."

"Ugh, whatever." Releasing her breath slowly, she calmed her growing irritation for about a minute and finally found the tolerance to asked, "So, what are we going to do about Yukari?"

"Yukari?" His voice was full of distracted thoughts as he glazed over the words he'd penned.

She opened her mouth with disbelief. "My friend I came here with! The one who got kidnapped and you _didn't_ save. You seriously forgot who she _was?_"

He nodded absentmindedly as if humoring a temperamental child. "_Yukari_, yes, yes, you mean your annoying companion." Van gave a one shouldered shrug, not even lifting his eyes from the paper. "She is useless. I did not save her because there is a high probability she will be a hindrance to my research. I already put myself in too much unwanted danger saving you. Why would I do that for someone who is no concern of mine?"

"She's my _friend_! She's a concern to _me_!"

"Again, that is not my problem."

"It should be considering I'm _helping_ you and everything."

He sighed quietly. "And how helpful you have been. You have yelled at me, cried irrationally, slept for hours, and eaten my food. I had the strong feeling you were the one to assist me in figuring out my mystery, but I am beginning to have heavy doubts."

She threw her hands up and shouted, "Unbelievable! You are absolutely unbelievable. It's been less than twenty-four hours since I got here. You can't give me time to catch my breath? I was just kidnapped by Zaibach _yesterday_. Hit on the head. Almost raped. Knocked out _twice_ – once by Zaibach and the other by _you, _might I add! None of this means anything to you? What about your calculations on how much a human body can handle in a day?"

"Today is a new day. You have rested and ate. Get over it." He began to write something underneath the letters. It started with an "M".

She clenched her fists and resisted the persistent urge to slap his infuriating self-righteous face. "Is this really all you care about?"

"Yes."

"Are you really so heartless that you can't even spare any time to make sure my friend is safe?"

"Yes." The deep controlled tone of his voice held a sharp pitch. Though his hands were still perfectly writing, she saw the muscles on his shoulders twitch several times underneath his thin grey t-shirt.

She crossed her arms with a glower. "I don't believe you for a second. You _saved_ me."

The king sighed, placed his pen easily on the table top, and sat back in his chair. Hitomi glanced down to read: M.Y.S.S.T.E.S. It was the same thing he written before but backwards. He really _was _at a loss on where to start. And here they were. A stalemate. He couldn't find out what Dragon Slayers meant and she had no clue where to begin either and he refused to help her find Yukari unless she spewed out some secret information that he seemed to think was buried deep inside her skull. Really, it was as if he expected something supernatural out of her. Like she was actually _magical_ or some other silly notion. She wasn't anything special. She'd told him that.

So, why did he insist she could help him? Why did he say she'd been touched by magic before?

Van stood slowly, his head turning towards her. Hitomi avoided his sharp stare by glaring at his perfectly penned _MYSSTES_ on the table.

"I have explained to you the reason I saved you _three times_ now. It is as if you cannot retain anything I tell you. You wish for me to let you see your friend, but I have told you where she is and that she is relatively safe. Yet you still insist on it."

"Of course, I insist on it! I was the reason she was taken!"

"I have waited. I have waited and waited and I will not wait any longer. You want to go to your friend than by all means, go. Leave the journal with me, make your excuses to Chordata, and just _go._ You are useless to me."

As the king straightened to stand tall and strong in front of her, she was suddenly reminded of a headless corpse in a cold dark room and she was very aware of his sword lying only a few feet away. The short-haired girl felt his pricking eyes stabbing all over her body; somehow reading her inner thoughts with her self-deceptive body language. She hoped he read how much she hated him at this very moment. He was mean and completely self-centered! Why did she _ever_ agree to help him? What good would it do to be verbally abused constantly by such a conceded _bastard!?_ One that only thought of his predicament? One that didn't even bother to think of others at all? He remained so still, so defiantly quiet, she finally whipped her eyes to his sheltered mahogany and inwardly cursed his stupid hat just because he seemed to like it so much.

"I'm just worried about Yukari-"

"You wish to leave and find your friend? Chordata will show you the way back. Go to your inn and get kidnapped once more. At least, I will have peace to study and not be bothered by your constant rampage of physical demands."

"Physical… demands?" She said slowly with incredulousness. "Physical _demands_? Eating and sleeping like a human being after getting kidnapped _twice _is considered too much for you? Are you that much of a robot?"

"I will not listen to your ramblings any longer than necessary. Insults are for children."

"Yeah, well maybe _this_ is in a language you'll respect!" she shouted and slapped him fiercely across the right cheek. The navy cap flipped off his head and landed with a solid _poof _on the carpet. The hit stung the palm of her hand, but she took strength and satisfaction at the bright red mark that was slowly appearing on his stupidly, blank face. "Analyze that, _Your Majesty_!"

Reaching over, she snagged the small journal from the table just as he was gathering his wits. Her fingers clasped over it and his quick hand brushed the empty air. Tucking the precious book to her chest, she turned on foot and ran to the steps, yelling, "I am taking _my_ journal! Just because you feel you need something doesn't mean you can just take from whatever or whomever you please! Like I said before, you are not a king here!"

She raced up the steps, her heart pounding like a gazelle hunted by a lion. He couldn't make her stay, could he? He'd told her to get out. Well, out she'd go, then! Bursting into the top room, she startled a lovely Chordata, who was just finishing tying the strings of a white plastic sack full of trash. Her green eyes danced around the room in surprise. The white cat had cleaned and straightened a lot of the furniture. The bed was made perfectly with a new blue quilted blanket. The window was open, letting in the cold clear morning breeze. The stray planks of wood and trash were gone from the floor and replaced by a comfortable navy rug. With a swallow of guilt, she tightened her grip on her journal and steadied herself.

"I'm leaving, Chordata. Where is my jacket?"

The beautiful older woman's mouth dropped slightly, revealing small fanged teeth. She gave a bow and instantly glided to a closed door her right; opening it to reveal a small tattered closet. Her jacket was the only piece of clothing hanging on the rack.

"My Lady Hitomi, why would you leave? What about Master Fanel and -?"

"He told me to get out. I'm just doing what he wants."

"Why would he ask you to do such a thing?" The white cat retrieved the jacket, but held it in her small hands. "He told me you would help him."

"Help him, Chordata? Help him with _what_?" Throwing her hands up, she shook her head and her short hair flicked in her face. "I don't have anything he can use. As a matter of fact, I'm probably the last person who can help him right now. I just want to make sure my friend is safe. That's it. But apparently that is too _human _for Mr. Robot downstairs!"

Chordata's amber eyes softened. "Master has… had a difficult time, My Lady Hitomi. Please do not hold his harsh comments against him."

"He could at least act like a human," she returned hotly, though her rage was smothered somewhat by the cat's understanding expression.

"He told me you saw his past through the necklace, and I… I have seen it as well. His entire world crumbled into dust right before his eyes." The cat took a few steps closer, her fluffy tail ceasing its usual swinging flick back and forth. "Yesterday was his first time to see the Winged Palace so close up. It was a rough decision for him to make – to see all that destruction and death. But then he met you," Chordata's sharp gaze spilled into Hitomi's with a silent plea of acceptance, "someone who not only believed wholeheartedly in the corruption of Zaibach, but preached the proof of it loudly right in front of his greatest foes. Right in front of his destroyed past. He saved you from Zaibach for reasons even _he_ cannot comprehend because he has trouble grasping his emotions. It is the way he has coped with the way the world is. He hides with logic and psychological reasoning."

"And with that stupid hat…" Hitomi commented dryly, swallowing down the familiar whelp of pity that surfaced every time she thought of Van Slanzar looking at his ruinous castle. "He might be emotionally deformed, but that doesn't give him the right to forbid me to do anything I don't want to do. I want to see my friend, Chordata. If he wanted someone who followed his orders like a 'yes man' then he shouldn't have chosen to save _me._"

The cat went quiet, her mind obviously it mulling over. Finally coming to some form of a decision, she handed the short-haired girl her thick jacket. "I will take you to your friend. The police let her go late last night. She is at the hotel. We will use my tunnels."

Grabbing the jacket, the short-haired girl snuggled into its comfort and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"I will go get my shawl and supplies. Meet me outside the back of the lodge."

* * *

Hitomi had thought 'tunnels' meant the sewer system that ran throughout the entire city. The ancient ones that the supposed rebel group used to sneak attack the Winged Palace. She had pictured traveling in the darkness with only Chordata's white, fluffy tail to guide her. She had imagined coming up through the floorboards of the hotel like a spy, appearing suddenly as if a ghost.

She was very, very wrong.

"One ticket for three hours activation please," the cat purred pleasantly in the hustle and bustle of the train station. "And I would like to reload my pass for the month." She extended a card from her large satchel strapped to her thin shoulder and the beanpole man behind the busy counter hardly gave them a second glance through his magnetized spectacles as he stamped a purchased ticket and scanned the card through a whirling machine to process more money into Chordata's account.

"Very good, ma'am, here you are." Sliding both their passes through the glass pane, the man hollered out for the next customer and Chordata strolled easily past the hectic bodies, shouting merchants, and stampeding civilians. Hitomi followed trying to keep the anxiety off her face as she glanced suspiciously at almost every stranger that walked past her.

"Take caution. I have heard it said Zaibach is on the lookout for you. Thankfully, your train is only a bit of the way down this hall to the left. Take platform four. That is your train. It is about ten minutes between each scheduled train pickup. Once you are on, make sure to get off at Albat Station. Your hotel is only three more blocks once you exit the station to your right." The cat stopped for a moment with a flash in her amber eyes. "This is a good thing. A very good hotel to stay at. I will make sure you get on the train, but the rest is up to you, My Lady Hitomi."

Hitomi nodded, trying to keep her breath steady, her heart from beating out of her chest, and remember every single instruction the cat just uttered. "Thank you, Chordata."

They neared the tunnel for her tram, ducking and weaving through the garbling traffic. Approaching the farthest left tunnel, a thick group of civilians parted abruptly to show a tall, hairy guard with the lightning bolt insignia on his green garbs standing beside the entrance way to platforms 1-5. The man scanned the crowd with squinted eyes spilling on each face that passed him. An urge to duck her head and run the opposite way was almost overwhelming. The white cat grabbed her hand indiscreetly and they slowed their pace behind a large flashing sign.

"I will distract him. You keep walking. If anything happens, _run._"

"But Chordata, he could kill you! This was a mistake to come here!"

The white cat shot her a mysterious fanged smile. "You need to see your friend. I make sure your way is as safe as possible. I will go distract him and you follow me after you count ten seconds. And you forget: I raised Master Fanel when he was a teenager. There is no way _one_ little guard could _ever_ take me down." Her voice purred harshly on the word 'ever' and she took dainty steps forward. Hitomi watched in awe as Chordata threw down the shawl over her snowy white neck and practically glided to the guard with the seduction of a siren. Hitomi followed the cat's footsteps a handful of seconds later; her head held down and her eyes striving to not look in Chordata's direction.

Ten feet away… seven feet… five… She could hear bits of the cat's purring conversation with the guard.

Three… one…

Passing the Zaibachian on her right, she heard Chordata give a charming giggle. "You know, I thought the same thing about radishes…"

And she was through.

Quickening her pace in the tunnel, she felt even the air shift to a different wind pattern. Warmth of relief and happiness at finally seeing Yukari's comforting face made her unthinkingly flick her gaze back to the white cat in gratitude.

And she caught the guard's deep black orbs glancing back at her curiously from the tunnel entrance. Chordata's whiskered face reflected a terrible panic behind the guard's turned head.

Swinging back with nothing but survival leaping to the forefront of her mind, she instantly sprinted down the winding tunnel. A low, but sharp "Hey, you, wait!" burst after her and she pushed herself to an even faster run. She could feel the curious eyes of those around her staring in surprise at her unexpected flight. The tunnel was long. It was at least a minute before she passed platform one. Running on sheer panic, she finally chanced another look over her shoulder and noticed not one, but two guards hurrying in pursuit.

"Oh, god," she panted. "Oh, no, no, no, no…" Skidding around a cart full of luggage, she ducked underneath a flamboyant sign and brushed past several shocked women, knocking one of them to the floor.

She passed platform two…

The station buzzed loudly with a woman's light voice echoing down the tunnel: "_Incoming platform four train. Incoming platform four train._"

A loud roar like a tiger was trailed by a man's piercing scream of pain, but Hitomi kept going. She pushed her legs past endurance to a speed she'd never gone before. Skipping several steps down a crowded staircase and practically falling to her knees on the last landing, her green eyes soaked for signs of platform four. A whimper of sheer horror slipped from her throat.

She'd reached an unmarked fork.

Right or left? Right or left?

Grabbing the nearest man that passed her, she shrieked in his face, "Which way is platform four?!"

The poor man's eyes were as wide as saucers. He pointed to the left and the short-haired girl plunged down the left; battled against the rushing air that pushed ferociously against her body.

Shoving the staggering amounts of people aside with her hands and shoulders, her heart seized up with relief as she turned a corner and the awaiting train hissed only twenty feet from her. The tram was built small for speed and economy, but the people crammed themselves like pack rats.

The train! It was here! She had to get on!

"You, stop! By the orders of a Zaibach Elite, I command you to stop!"

Sprinting with the last dregs of her energy, she hit about ten feet away and the doors began to slide shut with an audible screech.

She was going to make it.

She _had _to make it.

A gloved hand caught her arm, yanked her backwards, and she fell tumbling blindly into pairs of strong arms. More hands grabbed her body, slamming her down on the cold, tile floor. She struggled in vain against the bruising force, letting out small screams through her gasping breaths. Hitomi was turned over roughly, her hands already bound together by sharp metal handcuffs.

"Soldiers! This drill is over! Let the Strategos go!"

The noisy clanks and sharp hiss of the train leaving the station was the only sound to protrude. Everyone's bodies – including those that walked by - stopped at the words that carried further and sharper than any scream she had belted out.

But Hitomi stopped struggling for a different reason all entirely.

That voice… there was no way that voice belonged to…

Looking up with difficulty through the multi-green legs of her captors, all rational thought washed from her mind.

Van Slanzar de Fanel.

Dressed in the green uniform of Zaibach's military. Standing in the middle of the tunnel way like a sergeant. His hands clasped firmly, but patiently behind his back. His chest stuck out like the proudest peacock. His feet spread steady and strong on the gritty floor in shiny black boots. A black beret held the usual unruly long hair back from his tan face. Her green eyes flipped to his waist and she blinked. The pommel at his hip wasn't navy, but dark green. This was a different sword. With a stern jaw and uncompromising mahogany eyes, Van stepped forward and cocked his eyebrow haughtily at the men still holding her down.

"I said this-drill-is-_over_! Release the Strategos at once!" He barked the words with such force, they scrambled to their feet.

But they didn't pick her up from the floor.

Or release her hands.

His usual strong Fanelian accent had all but disappeared and now he produced his 'TH' with more of a 'Z' and his 'W' with a 'V'. A bit shaky, but certainly passable for Zaibach's trilling dialect.

Her brain was still trying to process the undeniable conclusion that Van Slanzar was standing right here. Commanding Zaibachian troops. And dress liked _that _no less.

She got her answer on how he'd snuck into the ranks last night to save her… and then her mind drifted briefly if the soldier he'd stolen the green regalia from was even alive to miss his uniform.

That was something she realized she _didn't_ want to know.

One of the men stepped forward from the three, confusion and suspicion practically spilling like liquid off his voice. "Did you say this was a _drill_? We were given orders from the Commander." The soldier glanced at the badge on Van's chest, immediately straightened his back, and added, "Colonel Lavariel, sir."

"Did I _stutter_?" Van snapped back. "Release the Strategos at once."

Hands fell over her wrists and she was gently pulled to her feet. Refusing to even glance at Van – or 'Colonel Lavariel' as he was called– she straightened her shoulders. The three Zaibachian soldiers who had held her down stood together now in a cluster of utter bewilderment. Shooting them a look of calculated irritation – a look she copied from Van ironically - her green eyes narrowed importantly and she imitated Van's proud stance facing the panting soldiers. The men all turned their eyes immediately away from her face.

_Good. _She thought, her sheer panic subsiding to make room for the exciting possibilities of being named a Strategos. Her mind instantly scattered for all the information she'd studied the past years. Strategos were practically royalty in the militia. Revered for completing the examinations of complex strategies in dire circumstances and logical equations that were nearly impossible to solve, there was only one spot available in each of the one hundred String Divisions. If she named herself from one of the lower strings, they had the highest chance of not knowing who that exact Strategos was.

Also, lucky for her, Strategos weren't known for their physical strength, but the enormous power of their logic and cunning; especially the ability to outsmart their opponents.

And _that _was why there were respected. Awed.

Worshiped as perfect beings.

_You wanna play the pretend game, Fanel? Watch the magic and learn from it._

"Do not question your Colonel, Private. I am your new Strategos, from Eighty-Ninth String Division, Code name:… Digit."

_Whew! _She hid her relief as their backs straightened even further. They didn't notice her pause and her brain supplied good specialization. 'Digit' meant she was numerical.

Very important with economic strategy.

"Strategos Digit, with all due respect, we did not know of your coming to Fanelia."

_Oh, crap… uhh… _She glanced at the communication screens strapped to their right wrists and noticed one blinking with a miniature picture of her smiling face.

It was the one on her passport.

She turned to flick her green eyes boredly at the taller man's face and he swallowed nervously, zipping his light eyes instantly away. "I requested your Commander to set up a test. This was my way of seeing his Division's skills in action. Your Commander was to name me as the vigilante known as Hitomi Kanzaki and procured a picture of myself with detailed background information." Trying to keep her legs from visibly trembling, she walked away from them to join Van's side. "Judging from what I have seen just now, I find myself _highly _displeased with the performance and will inform the Commander accordingly."

"_What happened to Strategos Corp? Did he get removed_?" One of them whispered behind her back.

"_I didn't hear anything. I saw him earlier this week_."

Turning with a snap, she snarled, "To the ready! Ranks!"

It must have been the combination of shock and potential military sovereign standing before them, the Zaibachians instantly scrambled to line up in ranking order. Passerby civilians were beginning to take pictures and videos with their camera phones. Others had stopped, a circle forming around them as passengers waited for the next train to come rolling by. She took confident steps towards the soldiers, her mind racing with her research on Zaibach military procedures and Strategos.

_You are soooo lucky I researched this thoroughly several months back, Your Majesty_. She thought with masked annoyance.

Eyeing each of the soldiers openly, she found the one that fought Chordata. His uniform was ripped at the right sleeve and, walking around the man, she saw a long red gash on the back of his neck that was weeping blood into his green collar.

The cat lady got him good.

But where was she?

"Request!" She pointed to the man, who was second in line. He gulped and stated, "Strategos Digit, what is your request of this soldier?"

"I request you to state your full name, rank, company, and reason for not spotting me sooner in this drill. Do as this Strategos commands." She spilled out the perfect commanding sentence and congratulated her brain with pride. She heard Van's feet shift slightly and lifted her head further.

_Impressed, Fanel?_

The man's eyes shifted from one side to the other and he swallowed again. "Strategos Di-Digit, I am Private Hammel P. Marsh, Rank Sixty-Seven. Recently shipped from the Forty-Eighth String Division to the Thirty-Ninth last week. And I…" He faltered, his eyes slipping accidently into hers.

_An insult! _She lashed out immediately to smack his face.

And smack the man she did.

Hard.

Much harder than she intended to.

Her wrist spotted with swirls of pain, but that was nothing compared to the bursting red-hot agony from her palm and fingers. The soldier's face was one of shock and fear, the whelp already appearing on his cheek and ear. Burrowing the pain down in her stomach, Hitomi stepped underneath his chin and whispered quietly into his neck. "You will never look a Strategos in the eye ever again, Private Marsh. I can and _will_ have you held in violation of the Uniformed Code of Zaibachian Justice, Section G-2: Segment 22 and 27 and that will be the least of your punishments. Now respond to your Strategos' request. Explain to me why you did not spot me? I walked past you and was almost able to escape."

The poor soldier kept his head up respectfully, his body shaking and tears actually filling his dark eyes. "Strategos Digit, I was distracted by a-a… by a cat…" he trailed off, flat out looking ashamed of himself.

"You were commanded to find the target labeled Hitomi Kanzaki of Austuria, were you not?" Hitomi hissed, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Yes, Strategos Digit."

"Were you not aware that the information given to you from your commanding officer stated clearly she was a wanted criminal for public slander and besmirching the Zaibachian authority here in Fanelia?" Her tightly clenched right hand lying at her side was the only betrayal of her inner fear. She prayed her intuition was right.

"I-I- did receive the information, yes, Strategos." She had to stop herself from visibly sighing in relief.

"And did you not receive the picture like your comrades?"

"The picture they sent us looked exactly like you, yes, Strategos."

"And yet you failed to take the target out, Private. Why did you let your guard down over a cat?"

The man burst into tears. Sobs racked his body.

"Where is the cat, Private Marsh?"

"I t-t-tied her to a p-p-pole outside platform t-two…"

"This Strategos requests you to hand Colonel Lavariel the key to the cat's handcuffs." She barked instantly. Hitomi felt Van approach her side and she only halfheartedly prayed he didn't look at her.

She found that she wouldn't mind giving him a nice slap again.

Her green eyes left the sniveling man to slip over the king's tense features. Van's tan jaw was locked edgily as he placed the jingling keys into his front pocket and stepped away. With his hair smoothed back and his face finally fully exposed, he actually looked kind of dignified. She could see the deep bags under his eyes and the tired lines around his mouth.

He dutifully kept his mahogany gaze away from her. Instead, he focused sternly on Private Marsh.

She could get used to this.

"Colonel Lavariel, this Strategos requests you to go get my cat."

_How's THAT for useless?_

"Yes, Strategos Digit," he murmured. Fighting a self-satisfied smile, she saw how stiff his broad shoulders were. He turned away to head up the stairs.

Taking several steps away from the lined men, she was suddenly knocked into by a large woman who was headed to the available train and almost fell over by the brute strength of the lady's massive bulk. Two of the soldiers broke formation and instantly grabbed the woman's arms with unyielding hands. She let out a loud squawk, the prominent curve of her chin and fissure of feathers at the base of her thick neck suggesting she was from a bird clan of sorts. She dropped her purse as the taller Private, with tears still on his cheeks, leapt forward and burrowed his thick fist in the woman's huge gut. She let out a whistling wheeze, her legs giving out to their strong grip.

"W-wait!" Hitomi cried out in shock, breaking out of her Strategos get-up by this unexpected violence. He gave the helpless woman another punch and her puffy eyes rolled. "What are you doing!?"

The tear-stained Private stopped, his back still facing her. "Strategos Protection Protocol demands we retaliate to any and all-"

"Let her go, Private! Let her go _right now!_"

"But the Protocol states that-"

"_Do as your Strategos requests_!" She shrieked. The soldiers dropped the woman's arms and she collapsed to the ground in a thick clatter. An even larger crowd of people had stopped, whispering behind their hands, fear, disgust, and hatred secretly glinting through their eyes. Holding herself back from running to the woman's side, Hitomi felt her familiar panic lace back into her stomach. The bird let out a small coo, but no one stopping came to help her. Looking at each private with barely cloaked tremors, she whispered, "This Strategos must follow-up with your Division Leader. This Strategos requests each of you to go back to your assigned locations at this station."

"Yes, Strategos Digit." They said in unison. Her breath silently caught as the taller stayed for only a three seconds longer, his muscled arms flexing, the blue-black veins in his forearms pulsating sickeningly.

And with the greatest of hushed sighs, her green eyes gratefully watched him march back to the stairs to his tunnel. As he disappeared in the hallway to the crowded multitude, she turned away just as several helpful Fanelians strolled to take care of the poor woman. Others were still watching her.

The poison in their stares. The underlying hatred in their eyes.

What had this country come to?

"_Incoming platform four train. Incoming platform four train._"

"Thank God for that." She whispered under her breath and hurried to catch the opening tram door.

* * *

Despite the ridiculous amount of action and drama that had happened in the Main Station, the small and rundown underground at Albat Street held no Zaibach soldiers that she could make sob like a little girl.

Or hardly any people at all for that matter.

Hitomi stepped off the train armed with a new found respect for incognito travel. Ducking her head to blend in with the scattered individuals exiting with her, she climbed the easy, paint-pealing steps and slid her pass card into the scanner covered in strange graffiti. Slipping through the practically empty lobby, she thumped up more concrete steps to the street.

She was surprised. She'd thought the three privates positioned at the Main Station were now well aware they'd been tricked. Hitomi had figured she'd have to fight her way through to Albat Street. But the midday was quiet. Strikingly, quiet. It made the short hairs on Hitomi's neck stand with heightened apprehension. No cars, scarcely any people. Even multiple store signs on the corner of the streets were dark. Every growing shadow in the alleyways, every little nook between doorways and signs looked like hiding Zaibach soldiers waiting to ambush her.

But total silence. Completely unnerving

Three blocks from the Station to the right.

She could already see the hotel from here, glowing like a beacon of hope.

Trying to stop herself from running full out to doors of expectant safety, the short-haired girl counted each step, each foot, and each second. It felt like an eternity until she grasped the decorative handle to the hotel. Turning immediately to avoid the receptionist upon entering, she climbed up the steep stairs to the right and let out a small sigh of relief as she cleared the second landing with no uproar from the front desk.

She slipped into the hallway that had once given her such pleasure.

Though the paintings were the same, everything was somehow different now. Just a day ago, they held historical significance to her research - and that was it. There wasn't anything else there. Just objects to quench her thirst for more knowledge, to understand her father's thoughts. But now… she saw the power in the strokes of paint, the passion in the spread of colors that swirled on the canvases. The lighted hallway was now a picture of patriotic love. There was more here than she ever thought possible. A quiet declaration of Fanelian pride. A silent cry for something better than this current world could give them. From what she saw at the Main Station, the oppression, the violence inflicted on that poor, innocent woman, she knew she couldn't be the only one fighting for this cause.

There had to be more people out there. But… where?

Hitomi stood to the threshold of her hotel door and knocked only once.

A muffled, "who is it?" resounded from inside the room.

Yukari.

It was a wash of relief was so thick; Hitomi had to hold herself up with the hanging doorknob to not slink to the floor.

"It's me."

"HITOMI!"

The wooden door burst open so fast; Hitomi jumped out of the way with a small cry to avoid getting smashed. Her best friend, pale face, tear-streaked, beautiful auburn hair a thick mess leapt into her arms, hugging her so tightly she could hardly breathe. Such comfort, such relief, such love, Hitomi felt the tears beginning to leak from her own eyes as well.

"Where-have-you-_been_?"

"Can't tell you in the hallway. We better get inside. We should leave this country right now. Within this hour if we can manage it."

"You have to tell me everything though!" Yukari let her go and yanked her by an arm inside the room. The familiar double beds in the corner, Yukari's clothes scattered all over the floor, the yellow backpack obviously tossed haphazardly on a nearby chair. Everything was a comfort.

Her friend pushed her on one of the cots, but Hitomi immediately shook her head and stood. "We need to pack. Like I said, we have to get out of here. Get your suitcase."

"Not without explaining yourself first! What happened? I thought I'd never see you again." Yukari's bloodshot brown eyes exploded with fresh tears and she stamped her foot on the carpet. "I-I-I thought I'd l-l-lost my best f-friend…"

"I'm fine, Yukari. Really, I'm okay." Grabbing her empty bag from the foot of one bed, she strolled briskly to the chest of drawers and yanked open a squeaking drawer on the right. "I… well, I was taken by Zaibach."

Yukari was quiet for a moment. The only sound punctuating the hotel room was her small sobs.

"I t-told you, Hitomi," she finally scolded. "I told you not to s-spout off like that during the tour. They t-took me in for questioning when you never showed up. Four huge soldiers escorted me out of the place and drove me in a police car to the station. Blindfolded me. They asked me all these questions that I didn't know the answer to. Then they asked me personal questions. Stuff about you. How long we'd been friends, how did you know so much information, where we were from, home addresses. Stuff like that."

"What did you say?" Hitomi asked quietly, stuffing her underwear into the bag. A vision of her mother's smiling face circled her silently panicked mind. They had her passport picture, so they must have looked up her information.

_Mama_…

"I told them we met on the airship on the way here, that you were a historian studying for a dissertation on Historical Controversies in the Great War, that I lived in the farmlands and gave them the address to my crazy Aunt Ollie and I didn't learn where you were from. I didn't have my passport on me because I left it in the hotel, so that was lucky. I played it off as slightly drunk, party chick." Yukari gave a watery smile. "I'm apparently pretty good at that." She paused for a moment to wipe her dark eyes with her sleeve. "What happened? I thought you were dead."

"I almost was…" the short-haired girl stopped and took a deep breath. She avoided Yukari's sweet eyes and decided to confess to the red carpet instead. "I watched you exit the Chapellieur. The next thing I knew, I… woke up in a huge metal box with storage supplies in it. They had two soldiers standing out guard. They were going to interrogate and torture me and then… kill me."

Her friend gasped and, judging by the audible _thump _on the ground, she fell to her knees on the ground.

"Oh, my _GOD_, how did you escape?"

"I need you to start packing." Hitomi commanded gently, pushing another drawer closed and pulling another one open. "And… I… I was saved."

"_Saved? SAVED? _By who? By what?" Glancing at her friend, Hitomi saw she hadn't moved an inch on the floor.

"Get your suitcase, idiot!"

"Answer the question, _idiot_!"

"We have to leave soon!"

"Who the hell saved you!?"

"I was saved by that ragged man in the navy hat!" She blurted out, dropping the bag – which landed with a solid _plop_. She ran her trembling fingers through her short locks and pulled on the strands lightly. "He came and killed the guards and took me to his house. I… I have been there since last night."

"He _saved _you?"

"Yeah…"

"He _killed _those guards?"

"Chopped their heads off with a sword."

"And you _went _with this lunatic?"

"Not on my own free will."

To his house?"

"Look, he knocked me out, okay?! I didn't have a choice in the matter!"

"To his _house?_"

Hitomi gave her an exasperated look. "He didn't _do _anything if that's what you are implying."

"How did he know where to find you?"

"I don't know."

"How did he sneak past those guards?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think he disguised himself like one of them."

"Why did he save you?"

"He wasn't really clear on that."

"Who are you to him?"

"I'm nobody, apparently." She answered with a simple shrug, but a strange thickness appeared in her throat. She swallowed down the sour feeling before adding, "I believe the term he used was 'useless'."

Yukari put a hand on her hip with a scowl, obviously defending Hitomi's worth from the absent man's accusations. "Useless? _Useless_? What does he care? Despite saving your life, I think he's one shot away from the crazy juice they give in insane asylums."

"There's more to this than it seems!" Hitomi injected. _Things are not always as they seem_. Her brain flashed with what Van had written earlier that morning and she asked without thinking, "T.A.A.N.A.T.S… does that mean anything to you, Yukari?"

Her friend's lips turned downward and she gave the short-haired girl a look like she was cracked. "Are you sure you're not into the crazy juice as well, Hitomi?"

"Just answer the question."

"Taanats…? Why would it?"

"What about S.E.T.S.S.Y.M? Setssyum? Setssyem? Something like that? Mean anything at all?" A feeling of importance hit her. Hitomi stepped over her fallen bag and knelt down to her friend. She grabbed her cold fingers with her own and Yukari shook her head slowly, her mouth open with an utterly lost expression.

"May I ask why you are asking me these weird questions?"

"No, you can't. Let's try M.Y.S.S.T.E.S. Do you know anything about that?" A flicker of recognition hit Yukari's dark eyes and she tilted her head thoughtfully.

She repeated the words slowly. "M.Y.S.S.T.E.S? Mysstes? That's actually a famous bar in Joko. I've always wanted to go there. Read a review saying they make the best alchemy bomb martinis in the world. I don't think that's what you're looking for though."

"A _bar_? Probably not." Hitomi frowned, letting go of Yukari. Standing up, she sighed in disappointment and headed back to her nearly forgotten travel bag.

"Now will you answer why you asked me all those weird questions?"

"It was just a hunch."

"Did that raggedy guy ask you those questions?"

"In a way…"

Yukari frowned from the floor. "You are being so secretive."

"I need to be. Now pack!"

"Who is he, Hitomi? Answer me that at least. You owe me something for the hell you've put me through."

Hitomi stopped with a handful of t-shirts clutched in one fist. Opening her mouth, she let out a small shriek as the door to their hotel burst wide with such ferocity, she was sure it was going to break off the hinges. Yukari screamed and scooted away to press her back against one of the cots as an uniformed soldier and a white cat stormed into the small room.

"Van! Chordata!" Her shock was beyond comprehension. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"My Lady Hitomi!" the white cat rushed to her with amber eyes blazing relief. Her shawl was torn in several places, but she thankfully looked unhurt. "You are safe."

"But why? What? H-How?" Her ability to form proper sentences had temporarily malfunctioned.

"They are coming. That little stunt you did in the Station was not enough." Van had turned back to the hallway, his head turning left and right. He'd lost his beret and his long locks were once again falling into his eyes. Hitomi noticed his right hand crossed to his left hip where the small saber was buckled. His tan fingers hovered steadfastly over the narrow green pommel.

She was weirdly comforted seeing that weapon on him.

"Of course, it wasn't enough, but it was good enough to get Chordata to safety, wasn't it?" She answered defensively. "And I wasn't the one to name myself a Strategos! That was your doing!"

"I went with my instincts. They proved faulty."

"I thought I did a pretty good job of it! I made a Zaibachian cry!"

"That soldier was weak."

"A weakling who pummeled a woman almost to death right after you left me."

Van was fell silent. Chordata's sharp eyes instantly zipped all over Hitomi's body for any bruises or scrapes.

"I imagine you stopped them?"

"Of course, I did."

"And therefore, your cover was blown. You are too sentimental."

"Well, you're are a self-centered ass, but who's blaming you?"

Shouts from the street made all their heads swivel to the window.

"They followed you. Waited to see where you were staying. Informed the Commander of your trick. Unfortunately, _Colonel Lavariel_ is no longer an option either. He was discovered several minutes ago."

"Oh, _god…_ I figured you killed that guy."

"Who killed what now?" Yukari squeaked. Hitomi had almost forgotten she was there.

"You are getting upset over that? Now of all times?"

"How do we get out?"

"The boat can only handle three people." The black-haired man injected cryptically. "We cannot take your friend with us."

"Boat? What boat? I can't leave her behind! They'll kill her!"

"It is how it is."

The panic settling inside her stomach was the worst. She felt sick. Her green eyes focused with a wavering illness on Yukari's frightened face and her sense of impending doom sunk deeper. "Are they outside? Are they waiting for us? Maybe she can run for it!"

"You must put these on!" Chordata hissed, whipping off her heavy satchel with a prominent _thump_ on the carpet. "I…" she glanced at Yukari. "I only have one uniform." Opening the top, she fished out a full multi-green garb of the Zaibach military.

"Take the uniform, Yukari!" Hitomi ordered immediately. Chordata froze, her facial features filling with indecision.

"Take what? What is going on?" Yukari's voice shook like a leaf as she regarded both the cat and king with equal horror. "You're the man who saved Hitomi! Why are you here? What's going on? What _boat?_"

"You told her nothing?" Van's deep voice resounded from the doorway.

"She doesn't know." Hitomi answered with a shake of her head. She gasped. Chordata jumped and dropped the uniform with claws extending as the front door downstairs audibly burst open with a loud scream from the receptionist. Van's sword swished out of its sheath with a _shhnnk. _Running over to the forgotten garb, she tossed it to Yukari, who caught it more with her face than her hands.

"Go in the closet, brace the door, and put that on _right now_! When you think they are done searching this room, come out and pretend you are one of them. Get out of here." She unzipped a small compartment in her bag and tossed her passport to her. "Take that home with you. Tell mom when you see her…" Hitomi froze for a moment and the thumps downstairs increased.

"We need to go!" Chordata's white hair was standing on edge.

"Tell mom that I am sorry. I'm too much like dad."

"B-but-but-"

"No _buts_, just GO!"

As Yukari scrambled to follow her wishes, Chordata brushed through the hallway, racing to the left near the stained-glassed window. Van stood just at the doorway, his expression covered by his thick black hair. Grabbing her small bag, she flung it over her shoulder, and hurried past the king. Chordata's puffed white tail was just whipping around the corner.

"This way," she hissed quietly.

Hitomi stopped just briefly to see Yukari's familiar body disappear inside the dark closet with a _click_. With a steady hand, Van grabbed her shoulder and pushed to get her moving.

"Hurry."

The king's eyes were visible only for a second.

But in that second, she saw a glimmer of something she'd never expect to see in him.

_Pride._

* * *

"You are a fool."

His deep voice echoed in the vast underground. He had said it quietly, but it sounded like a billion Vans all at once calling her a fool. Trying to keep her tears at bay, she scowled nastily at him and snuggled her damp bag closer to her chest. His mahogany eyes were turned away from her and busy watching the dark shadows on the stone walls. His arms methodologically pushed the oars of the little wooden boat quietly down the waterway channel.

Hitomi shivered with the freezing cold and the heated anger burning in her belly. "I was _trying_ to save my friend."

"You put her in more danger than need be. We lost two good uniforms because of it."

"Oh, I'm so _sorry_, Colonel Lavariel." Hitomi let the sarcasm drip heavily. "How could I have been so careless? So unthoughtful to the _uniforms! _How dare I try to save my best friend by giving her a uniform and letting her escape safely? How dare I only think about the protection of someone I love when there are _uniforms _on the line? What will become of us all by my thoughtless, selfish, _uselessness_?"

"Your sarcasm has run its course."

"I think it could probably go a couple more laps, actually." She snapped back.

Chordata remained silent, holding the small lantern in her lap with one hand. Her left arm was upraised to her mouth and she feverishly licked her wet fur back into place.

The escape through the hotel was more of what Hitomi had imagined when Chordata had said 'tunnels' earlier that day. Once they had crossed the left hallway with the stained-glass window, the white cat was busy slipping a sharp claw into a simple locked door. With a final twist, it snapped open and swung easily open. A small broom closet greeted her. Before the short-haired girl could ask what exactly they were doing at a broom closet, Chordata had bent, traced another nail around the floor, and lifted a secret trap door.

"I hate water, but this is the only way. Hope you can swim, My Lady Hitomi." She had said briefly before springing through the small black hole with the agility of a lioness. Leaning where the cat had disappeared, Hitomi felt her heart bound in her chest.

Where would this take her? Water?

"Jump inside _now_," Van demanded his elbow nudging on her shoulder. His sword was still drawn, his back to her, facing the open hallway fearlessly. With her eyes clenched shut, she stepped into the hole and bit back her screams as she fell for what must have been several minutes.

The cold, dark, murky water engulfed her senses and ran up her nose. She was in shock as the chill invaded and sucked all the warmth from her body. Finally kicking upward, she fought a heavy current that was trying to pull her downstream. Pushing, her head broke the surface and she coughed the musty water up with chalky lungs.

"Right here!" Chordata's sweet voice had trilled to her right. Fighting the water, she noticed the drenched cat waving to her from a small stony walkway on the side. She stroked closer to the edge just in time for Van's long body to follow in right behind her and drowned her face in his splash.

She kept going, kept coughing, her body fighting the underground river. Chordata's white hand grabbed her fingers and she was instantly pulled up and over the side.

As the cat-woman ran to pull Van up as well, Hitomi had wondered again how strong Chordata actually was. She looked so dainty.

"Do they know we are here, Master Fanel?"

Van had panted the words with his dripping hands on his soggy knees. "Not that I am aware of. I closed both the door and the trap behind me as I jumped. If they get the door open, they will have to inspect it to find the trap. There is a high probability they will continue searching the building and not think to check the waterway for at least several minutes." Van had straightened up and brushed his wet hair from his face.

"Enough time to get to the boat."

"Plenty of time."

"We should hurry then, Master Fanel."

Hitomi had stood on shaking legs. Her body shivering violently against the wet cold, shock, and continual panic attacks she'd had in the past couple of hours. Both Master and cat strolled away in the blackened darkness. Taking a deep, shuttering breath, she had followed their wet footprints. They remained silent, listening for tell-tale signs of voices following their footsteps. And finally, they were well on their way down the river, Van jumping to the oars in the tiny row boat. It had sunk deep in the water with their combined weight and even Hitomi had to admit there was no way they could have taken Yukari with them.

"Why did you come back for me in the hotel?" the short-haired girl asked curiously, watching the cat smooth her arm with her small tongue. She felt tempted to ask her to lick her flyaway short hair back in place. Too bad that was such a weird thing to ask. "I thought you would head back to the house after you got Chordata to safety."

"Chordata wished it." The king answered simply, turning the oars perfectly in unison.

"I…" the cat's amber eyes looked startled, illuminated green by the lantern light. She glanced, first at Van, then at Hitomi, and back again. The boat glided to the left as Van avoided a bit of large rubbish sticking out of the water. "I-I did… I wanted you to be safe, My Lady Hitomi."

A warm wave of gratitude for the thoughtful cat washed down Hitomi's spine and warmed her slightly. She gave the older lady a small smile. "Thank you, Chordata. I just met you and you are so kind to me."

"I-I like you, so naturally I would want you to be safe." The cat's eyes flicked once more to Van before she settled into a gentle purr. The sound vibrated the boat and echoed briefly in the vast stone tunnel.

"I like you, too," she confessed honestly, her smile growing a little more. Turning to the rowing king, she asked. "So, where are we headed now?"

"We have no leads. We are still at square one." Van's deep voice was swathed with a soft disappointment. "I am no closer to the truth than I was yesterday."

"I'm sorry you wasted time saving my life _again_." She announced stiffly. The memory of Yukari's revelation sprang back into her mind. "But I _did _learn something though. It's probably irrelevant, but Yukari mentioned something about _Mysstes_."

"What?" Mahogany eyes finally left their continual search of the shadows and focused fully on her face. His hair was a wreck, flopping all over his scalp like a shaggy dog's fur. The bright twinkle in his dark red irises almost made her nervous. "You told her about what we have discovered?"

His tone was practically accusing her. _Seriously, will I ever catch a break with this guy_? She thought angrily. "I just asked her about the acronyms. No need to get your royal pants in a twist."

Van's mouth pressed into a thin line. She wondered if he was warring with himself. She could see it clearly. One half of his mind was fighting over her insult. The other half was _dying_ with curiosity and resentment at her discovering the puzzle before he could. To be honest, she only figured it out because of Yukari.

That is. If her father was trying to point her to a bar - which was highly doubtful.

"What did she say on the subject?"

"Well, if you must know, Mysstes is a very popular bar in the capital of Joko."

"A bar? Like a tavern?"

"Uhhh. Yeah. If that's what you call it. I found it ironic they are known for their alchemy bomb martinis. The owner has a weird sense of humor."

"Why would you say that, My Lady Hitomi?" Chordata had switched to licking the palm of her hand.

"Joko developed and used the bomb back during the… the…" the short-haired girl faltered a bit, looking at Van's heavily concentrated face for a brief second. "…during the Great War. Killed all of the Austurian Royal Family except for Princess Millerna when they dropped it on Palas. She was thankfully smuggled out by Allen Schezar the Brave." A sudden thought cropped into her mind. "Hey, did you… did you ever _meet_ the Warrior Princess, Van? She would have been about your age at the time."

Water sloshed against the side of the boat.

"Are you sure your friend is right about Joko?" Van dodged her question with another question and pulled the oars harder than needed. The boat sped up through the thick, dirty streams and groaned lightly.

Hitomi tilted her wet head and frowned. "Of course, I am sure. She's my best friend. And if someone knows about popular bars, it's her."

"Are we headed to Joko, Master Fanel?" Chordata's pleasant purr paused only briefly for her to speak. Hitomi glanced at her and she saw the cat woman give her a miniscule of a wink.

Van was silent for a full minute.

"I find it highly improbable that a tavern named Mysstes is where your father intended you to go. Traveling from Fanelia to Joko by airship will be dangerous enough due to your infamous visage" Hitomi opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "However, I have no other leads. Every other way has given me nothing." He finally looked at her and she felt her heart jump into a harsh beat. There was a flash, the smallest briefest moment. That glimmer of pride sprinkled into his mahogany eyes and fizzled out before she could fully register its presence.

Then his long hair flipped back into his face and he pushed the oars.

"Despite my better judgment, let us go to Joko. Maybe it will not be as useless as I originally thought."

* * *

**And we are on our way through my plotline. :) I have to admit, that part with the train was seriously fun. When I sat back and really thought about ways Hitomi could prove herself more than capable, that was my favorite plan. And then I just went with it and next thing I know, she's slapping Zaibach soldiers and barking orders. Man, my brain seriously knows how to have a good time.  
**

**Rutilus is getting worked on, but probably won't be updated until next week. I'm lucky I got this much out for Be Ready. Between the packing and the moving and the birds and the getting rained on all weekend and the everything else in my life I'm just glad I'm not sick. **

**Thank you always for reading. Just to know people enjoyed the chapter makes me so happy (and write faster). ;) **

**blue...**


	6. Chapter 5 - The Possibility of Answers

**Well, that sucked. I had a whole other chapter typed and all the corrections done and what do I do? I close the freaking program without saving. Ugh, that was annoying. **

**So, here's the chapter retyped because I'm a moron. lol.**

* * *

It had been about three hours.

Waiting. She _hated _waiting.

Van finally showed up through the trees, his tall body sliding into view like a graceful ninja. Hanging from his back was a long, black case that looked like it could contain an instrument. Possibly a trumpet.

Hitomi knew better.

That box held his navy sword.

Chordata rose from the ground elegantly to meet him. Without a word, his feet crunched the fallen leaves as he closed in the gap between them, handed her a wad of money and some papers, and gave her one small nod of importance. She instantly turned away from him and began gently calculating the money – slipping the small papers periodically with the cash. Hitomi's eyebrows rose in questioning, but both of her fellow companions ignored her. The cat's white fingers stopped at the last paper and her head whipped to stare at Van in surprise.

"No one will possibly believe…"

"Mole said it was the best way to travel." Van answered immediately. "I will make it believable."

"You might… but I'm not so sure about…" Chordata's amber eyes shifted to Hitomi, who let out an irritated breath.

"What are you two talking about? What's on the papers? What won't people believe?"

The white cat's beautiful face crunched into a torn expression. Van shook his head slowly and she audibly swallowed, "I am sorry, Lady Hitomi."

And that was the only answer she got.

Another long hour passed. The winding dirt road stretched like a thick snake through the overpopulated forest. Switching from leaning on her left foot to her right, Hitomi hitched up her shoulder bag and sighed quietly. After tucking the money and papers away, the white cat folded herself back gently on the brown leaves, her graceful legs bent underneath her, her back straight, and her amber eyes to the left of the dirt road. Van couldn't seem to sit still and paced back and forth; eventually making a small ridged path in the leaves several feet away from her. The king occasionally muttered something to himself, but none of it made sense to Hitomi. Other than that, no one uttered another word.

Finally, her curiosity and anger had reached unbound levels.

"Why can't I know what's on the papers?" She blurted, breaking the endless silence. Chordata's white ears twitched back to her and then pressed forward towards the road. Van ignored her and kept talking to himself.

Hitomi sighed. She was beginning to wonder if they were just here on the side of an obscure dirt road in the middle of the Dragoon Forest just for kicks and giggles. No one, not even a hint of wild life, had shown their face. This road was either the most untraveled place in existence or she'd somehow unknowingly entered a world of limbo where she was waiting forever. And her punishment was to serve her unending time with a jerk of a king. Wrapping her arms over her chest, she resisted the strong urge to complain loudly about being left out. Not that it would help anything. They'd clearly had some kind of secret conversation and thought it best to not include her. She'd liked to have thought Chordata would possibly let her in on what was going on, but the cat remained still and silent like a fuzzy shadow, her tossing tail the only movement to show she was not a statue. Clutching her cold fingers on her shoulder bag, Hitomi's fluffy hat almost lifted off her short hair as yet another blast of freezing wind tossed the sheltering trees and ripped against her shivering body.

Never mind limbo, this was absolute _hell_.

Leaning against a dead tree that was tilted to the left side, the short-haired girl swallowed down a bat of disappointment. Some trip this was turning out to be. Maybe she should have pressed her luck with the Zaibachian soldiers at the hotel with Yukari. No one seemed to care enough to talk to her anyways.

Chordata danced up as a strange noise appeared in the distance. Hitomi followed her actions, squinting to the left.

Well, what do you know? There was life around here after all.

"Finally…" she heard Van whisper tensely and she glanced at him. He avoided her eyes, keeping his hat low to his head.

"You wish for me to hand the papers to him, Master Fanel?" Chordata's sweet voice murmured. Van gave a short nod in approval.

"He will know where we want to go."

"What was on the papers?" Hitomi asked again, a little more demand in her tone of voice.

"Information," Van finally answered vaguely, his obscured eyes focused on the arriving vehicle. "And some incentive to make sure we arrive safely to Joko."

Before she could ask any more questions, a squat bus with mud streaks all over the sides came squawking into view from a curve in the road. It shot out an encompassing puff of black exhaust and stopped with the shrill screams of a dying duck. The doors pushed open to let them in and –with a nod back to Van –Chordata leapt to the front of their line. She climbed the steps with the grace of a regal queen. As the dirt pathway kicked up sand and dust against her jacket, Hitomi followed the cat and actually welcomed the shelter of the bus… that was until the smell hit her.

Like salty unwashed bodies and moldy cheese. _Gross_.

The wizened bus driver straightened his crooked spectacles with a sly grin stretching on his wrinkled face. "Money for the ride, lovely cat lady?"

"I've got it for all three of us," Chordata's soft voice floated and the cat reached in her large satchel to hand the man the wad. "Please make sure to _check_ if everything is there."

The old man's frothed eyes lightened as he turned away to the window to count the money. After several flips, his short fingers stopped at a one of the small papers.

"'ight, Ms. _Serrano_. Headed to Joko. And I believe the two behind you is…" he flipped to the two other papers. "Mista and Missus _Johnson_? On honeymoon? I'd go to Austuria more than Joko, unless Mista here is wanting somethin' a little on the side, if you knows what I means…"

Hitomi blanched and her foot slipped on the last step.

_Wait… WHAT?_

Turning with shock to the man behind her, he kept his mahogany gaze down to the ridges in the metal stairs, but his tan hand was clamped firmly on the iron guard rail. Her face burned with both anger and embarrassment. So _this _was why he didn't want to tell her? She could hardly stand the jerk as it was and now... now…

Now she was _married to him? _

Fan-freaking-tastic.

Breathing through her mouth with both suppressed rage and to avoid the terrible smell, Hitomi turned to scan the long row of seats available so as to get as far away from Van as possible. There were blank faces, tired, travel-worn, and dangerous. Most of their new travel companions had their hard eyes turned away, glancing out their respective dirty windows with some obscure memory or disturbing thought curling through their dark contemplations. The rest zeroed in on the three newcomers, haunted with looks of suspicion and chalked full of predatory glints. The inner warning of danger rang like church bells on a Sunday morning in Hitomi's head.

And now here they were, on a bus filled to the brim with outlaws, thieves, and criminals.

_Wonderful, you stupid king. Really, well done. Let's all get murdered. Good thing we got married first! I can cross that off my growing bucket list of regrets. _

"You lot's lucky you caught my bus. I don't make another 'round winter." The older man gave them a toothless smile and handed the papers back to Chordata. "Mole knows my rheumatism spikes after frost sets in. Tell him to send some o' those magic pills next time he needs a favor."

Chordata nodded cordially and began walking down the messy isle towards the back. Hitomi noticed she tossed her tail a little harsher than usual and several strands on the back of the cat's white neck stood up. She obviously didn't like this situation any more than Hitomi did. Thankfully, behind the masses of the long bus, there was one empty seat left in the very back. As the unstable vehicle started up with a shaking wobble, Hitomi gasped as a rough-looking man with a square head grabbed her arm with a painful squeeze.

"Hey, pretty lady, you can sit right here." He chuckled darkly, patting his thick knee with his other hand. Hitomi noticed his dirty, brown fingernails and swallowed weakly.

It looked like dried blood.

"Let… let go of me." She cried trying to twist her arm out of his grasp.

The man's grip tightened and he barked a laugh. "What's the matter, sweet thing? Trying to put up a fight? Old Grubs just wants to make sure you are comfy-"

That was the last thing the man was able to say. A tan hand and a white paw, with claws extending instantaneously, lashed out. The hand snapped on his thick arm, breaking his hold, and a razor-sharp furry finger glazed against his dirt lined neck, forcing him to push his greasy head against the seat.

"Leave my sister alone, _sir_." Van's voice came out from behind, hard as stone. The man gasped for breath, holding his arm with his other hand and his beady eyes flicking from Van to Chordata to Hitomi in rapid sequences.

Hitomi finally caught what he'd said.

_Wait… SISTER?_

Chordata's finger traced up and down his jugular. With one more flick of her dangerous claw on his fragile skin, she slowly backed her hand away. Everyone on the bus was deadly quiet as the trio continued their way to the more sparse seats in the back.

Much to Hitomi's great disappointment, the cat swung herself neatly into a seat next to a small figure draped in a black cloak. The man – or woman – had their head pressed to the glass and was slightly snoring from inside the dark shroud. Chordata glanced at Hitomi and gestured to the empty seat several rows behind her.

Hitomi looked at it and sucked in a groan. _I have to ride all the way to Joko next to King Douche-Bag? _She thought sourly as Chordata gave her a small, innocent smile that showed one of her fangs. Sighing with obvious frustration, she practically stomped her way to the empty seat and plopped into it.

Van followed her, his facial features still expressionless. She scooted as close to the window as she could and turned her face away.

_Sister…_

The ebony-haired king released a slow breath. He unstrapped his "instrument case", tucked it underneath the seat, and sat beside her. A puff of black fumes burst from the back of the bus and Hitomi's eyes watered with both pollution and anger.

"Why didn't you talk to me when I asked about the papers earlier?" she whispered to the window.

"The fool of a driver read it wrong. You are my sister not my wife."

"As much as a relief it is to hear it, that doesn't answer my question. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You did not need to know."

Hitomi scoffed. "And when was I supposed to finally know? When the bus driver celebrated our diamond anniversary?"

"As I said before, you are my sister. He would not celebrate any anniversary."

"You just decide that I need to know when I need to know it, huh?"

"More or less."

She turned to shoot the man a heavy glare. Van's back was as straight as ever against the perpendicular back-rest, his hands respectfully draped on the lower thighs of his ragged pants. He wasn't even turned to look at her. "I have a right to know what is going on. Don't treat me like I'm a small child."

"I have never treated you as such."

"Yes, you have. You completely ignored me when I asked what was on those papers. What harm would it be to tell me we were siblings now? Maybe I wouldn't act so shocked next time."

"You handled the Strategos situation better than this and you were in more danger then. I calculated you would not be so objective about secrets." She noticed his reddish eyes narrowed swiftly under his hat and hair. "Clearly, I… miscalculated."

"_Clearly_," Hitomi repeated with a huff. Crossing her arms, she scooted down with a slouch and flicked her irritated eyes to the passing scenery. Her wrist gave a small reminding throb where the nasty man had grabbed her and she tried to swallow down a small whisper of guilt. Van had reacted almost instantaneously to break that man's hand off of her. He seemed to be continually saving her life; always there when danger came near.

What was she supposed to think about him? He was so irritatingly smug about every damn little thing. So, _calculated. _And yet, he threw himself into danger just to pull her out of it. Just like when Zaibach had kidnapped her. Just like when she was trapped at the train station. Just like at the hotel. Just like now with the man on the bus.

He was _always there_.

He was so frustrating!

The bus lurched to the left unexpectedly and she was tossed slightly into his right arm. Hitomi promptly pulled away and snuggled up to the cold window, a burn of mixed emotions twisting her stomach.

"Sorry," she murmured to the glass at her right, feeling as if her apology was covering more than just accidently leaning into him.

She felt him tense beside her, his legs and hands twitch. Chancing a glance at his tan jawline, she noticed his cheekbone flex as if he gritted his teeth behind his closed mouth. And finally, "I accept."

That was the single most frustrating answer she'd ever heard.

But she fought ferociously – so ferociously - against her snowballing annoyance and let it go. With a deep breath to settle herself she thought, _let's at least try to have a civil conversation, _and asked with a controlled tone, "How far is it to Joko?"

"Joko is seven hours away. The bus will take us as far as the outskirts. We will take trains to get to your tavern."

"It's not _my tavern_." She rolled her green eyes.

"You were the one to discover the mystery."

"Yeah, by accident."

"You thought to include your friend who was knowledgeable in popular hangouts."

"You got mad at me for doing it, too." She reminded him. "And I bet you left me out of the loop about the papers for revenge in discovering what Mysstes means before you did."

She had meant it as an underlined joke, but as the silence stretched and Van's tan throat bobbed numerous times with a strange gulping noise, she felt a wash of realization hit her. Her mouth opened in indignation and she clenched her fists on her lap. "_Seriously_?" Several heads turned back to them, but she didn't care. "Is that actually the reason? You needed _revenge_ because I knew something your unsocial brain couldn't comprehend? Because, within your perfectly calculated stack of books, papers, whatever else, you couldn't figure it out without a mere peasant's assistance? I thought you _wanted _my help. I thought you _needed _my help. You practically begged me to join you in this strange quest and now you are holding it against me when I figure out things you can't._ Unbelievable_!"

"You are making a scene." He responded in monotone which only fueled her anger.

"I think I have a right to!"

"I had deducted from the way you calmed your breathing, the way your shoulders shifted, and your eyes softened that you were trying to remain civil with me."

She growled loudly, "What did I tell you about reading my body language? Stop-it_._"

"I reasoned it was passable to point out you are failing in this endeavor."

"I'm failing in civil with you for good reason!" she stood slightly and glanced for Chordata. "I'm switching seats. There is no way I'm traveling for _seven hours_ with you."

"We are brother and sister. It would be wise if we remained together."

"Then it is perfectly normal for us to loath each other. I personally cannot stand you right now, _brother, _and would much rather take my chances with Old Grubs."

"You are angry when you are near me."

"Think about it, Van." She sat down in her seat with a resigned plop. "Think about it really hard. What have you said and done to make me _not _angry at you? Use that _superior_ mind of yours and let's see if it can actually comprehend human emotions."

"I admit it was wrong of me to keep the new identity papers from you, but you have overreacted far more than necessary."

"All I want is respect!"

"And all I want is answers."

"Then why don't you stop fighting me and let me help you like you want? And why don't you – in turn – respect me for the information I am freely providing for you? We are in a partnership here. Let's try to act courteous for once instead of these stupid petty arguments getting in the way."

"I agree. Fighting resolves nothing. Therefore you should stop rising to the occasion to snap at me for every single small comment I ma-"

Her right hand slapped itself over his open mouth so fast he had no time to react. Keeping her green eyes on the seat in front of them, her lips lifted in a tense smile. Hitomi lowered her hand and crossed her arms over her chest comfortably. She felt his shaded mahogany eyes slipped on to her face and she raised her gaze to bravely meet his. From this close up under the cap, his reddish orbs looked almost as black as his pupils – which were dilated slightly.

"Fighting resolves nothing, _brother_." She said easily, still grinning stiffly at him. His chin stiffened, but he let out a small grunt in agreement.

And with that compromise, they both looked away – her to the window, him to his thoughts.

* * *

The bus jolted violently on a large bump. With her forehead pressed against the grimy glass, Hitomi hit the window painfully and she groaned with sleepiness and pain. Lifting a hand to rub out the small throb, her neck gave a nasty crick. Opening her green eyes to her strange surroundings, her disorientated mind tried to figure out where in the world she was. The light outside the window had vanished and was replaced by an eerie foreboding darkness that seemed to bleed into the puffing bus. A deep breath ending in a slight snore came from beside her and Hitomi whipped immediately to see the familiar visage of the king of Fanelia slouched uncomfortably beside her.

Van was asleep. _Actually asleep._ His head flopped forward on his chest; his hat covered his entire face except for his pointed chin. His hands were still perfectly resting on his knees, but the way his long legs swayed back and forth with the rocking bus, she realized he was completely out. She hadn't ever seen him sleep before. This was unexpected. Especially with all the dangerous people on the bus. How could it be the king of Fanelia could pass out like the dead on a vehicle full of criminals, but hardly sleep a wink in his own home? Maybe it was the absence of all his books. With nothing to read, Van fell into hibernation until he could find something else to study.

Turning her head back to the window, the dark trees looked like twisting monsters in the night. Their clawed branches occasionally grazed the top and sides of the dirty bus and Hitomi felt a shiver of cold run through her. What if Joko turned out to be entirely wrong? What if Mysstes was just a silly coincidence? The unknown was making her head hurt and her chest tighten. She'd left everything she'd known, everything she loved behind just to follow some stranger into a mystery she had no way of figuring out.

As Van let out another quiet snore beside her, she flicked her eyes back on his profile and took a deep sigh. The king was convinced she was touched with magic in some way. It was easy for him to say considering he came from a time where magic was still strong in this world. She had no clue why he was so insistent on it. She had no clue what magic really even was. Intuition? Fortune-telling? Yeah, right.

This world was chaotic. Fate was completely incalculable and haphazardly thrown in the air to fall wherever and whenever. Though he had been in this timeline for more than a decade, Van didn't seem to realize how the world had changed. Once, long ago, Gaea made sense. Every country coexisted in peace. There were diplomatic negotiations with almost all of the world powers. Van had lived in this time.

It was The Great War that changed everything. Van might have had access to certain history books, but he didn't seem to comprehend how much damage this one act of violence snowballed. It was ironic The Great War would start with the destruction of Fanelia, a fate he'd somehow escaped from via Escaflowne teleport.

And then Zaibach stepped up to the plate. A small country that didn't even register on the scale for world power somehow tactfully wormed its way into hearts and everyone believed them. Everyone. So much so the surrounding powers refused to even consider Zaibach as a potential threat. The country was weak at the time. Increasing in power, but still not strong enough to be an intimidation.

Zaibach claimed it was rebels that had attacked Fanelia, but somehow the surrounding powers began to suspect each other of attacking Fanelia for their precious floating stone export. The royal families of Freud and Austuria sending accusing messages to each other that seemed to escalade with each passing week.

And then, Joko's alchemy bomb hit Palas, Austuria's capital city.

With her sisters and father dead in the obliterated ruins of Palas, control of the Austurian Legionnaires was left to the Warrior Princess Millerna, who'd escaped the bomb with the help of Allen Schezar. Britonia, a strong ally with Austuria, charged into Joko in retaliation of Palas' annihilation and successfully pillaged the small cities around the countryside. They were eventually driven back by what they called an _invisible enemy_ and began to gather with the Austurian legionnaires.

_Invisible enemy…_

The vision of Van's past flashed in her mind and she let her green eyes fall on the king's slumped shoulders. His thin chest rose steadily up and down with each deep breath. His tan hand and ragged knee gave a small twitch as the bus lurched to the right slightly. The screaming boy that cried as the fire ate away his entire world, his mentor killed before his very eyes, his castle ravaged by the invisible enemy. Her eyes zeroed in on the fragile golden chain that hung about his neck under his shirt. The pink pendant was beautiful. A clear crystal.

Her brain tossed the memory of the day she'd met Van and she lifted her right hand unknowingly to rub the back of her sore neck.

_Stealth-cloak technology_… _judging from the vision I had of Van's past, a country had developed the tech before it became a common war tool. There was no incentive for Joko to drop the alchemy bomb on Palas. Joko and Freud only became allies after… after the bomb was dropped… Did the Duke of Freud put them up to it? Or was it someone else…? Someone controlling from the sidelines…? Someone attacking to provoke a war with a stealth-cloaked Guymelef ? _

If she was in any way right… there was only one to point the blame finger at.

But she needed to make sure.

Her heart beat a little stronger with a curious excitement. She wanted her father's journal.

Trying desperately to be as gentle as possible, Hitomi glanced quietly once again at the king beside her before reached down between her legs to unzip her shoulder bag that rested on the dirty floor. Rummaging around for several cursing minutes between clothes and various books, she finally found what she was looking for. Cracking open the book, she brushed past various pages until she reached the detailed timeline of The Great War. It was three decades after the conflict had ended that stealth–cloaked tech became more mainstreamed in Guymelef manufacturing. Her green eyes flicked to the last battle detailed in the timeline of the Great War.

_The Betrayal of Blood._

History books called it The Battle of Four Rivers because it was located in the middle of the Grarer, Manosap, Kipple, and Flu Rivers-

But her father had renamed this particular battle to The Betrayal of Blood. A bit of a dramatic name, but Hitomi found it fit much better.

As the large forces between Austurian-Britonian legionnaires and the Joko-Freud alliance gathered on the outskirts of Austuria… as the signal for attack was about to hit… a man turned to his fellow soldier and plunged his sword into his gut. Another swung his sword around and lopped off another ally's head. In that instant, brother turned on brother, comrade on comrade. Friend on friend. Both sides – no discrimination between both friend and foe slaughtered each other without mercy.

It was a phenomenon that had covered the world with the blanket of death. It wasn't just The Betrayal's battlefield, but all over Gaea the world struck out. Mother killing child, neighbor burning, drowning, suffocating neighbor. The world collapsed into a mindset of psychopathic bloodshed.

For six solid hours, The Betrayal of Blood slaughtered and destroyed each other and the world ran red with the cries of innocents. And just like a light had been switched off, suddenly the battle stopped. The few who survived fell to their knees in despair.

And the world wept for days.

The ancient yellowing pages of the journal crackled open as Hitomi read her father's familiar cursive scrawl. All will to fight had left in the wake of so much death. So much irrational murder. As the crumbling world powers met to form a peace negotiation, one country… one country stepped up through all the death. One country remained unscathed. One country insisted on delegating the negotiations. Joko held suspicion over this country, but everyone else fell under the protective wing.

With negotiation over in only a few short months and peace on the horizon, this one country stood out like a titan among the fallen corpses.

_Zaibach was the only world power left._

Hitomi frowned thoughtfully as she turned another page. Sir Allen Schezar, the renegade Knight of Caeli who had teamed up with the Guitoma Samurai only several weeks after the famous rescue of the Warrior Princess, lost his life in this battle by the hand of the deranged Duke of Freud, who was in turn killed by his own men. The tragedy continued to spread. The brutal assassination of Freud's only heir Prince Chid by his closest advisor named Boris. Warrior Princess Millerna beaten and left for dead, but eventually saved by some unnamed merchant's son. So many people… so much potential… Hitomi glanced at the slumbering man beside her and a question hit her. How much did Van know about The Betrayal? If he had remained in his timeline, he would have either been killed during the 'rebellion' or killed during the war. Either way, the king of Fanelia would have found his fate at the end of a bloody sword. She already knew from the small amount of time they'd been together that he wouldn't hesitate to fight in battle. He was so willing to throw himself into danger; he'd probably revel in the thought of giving those that destroyed his entire country a nice bloody end.

But… maybe…

Maybe that wasn't what his destiny was.

Maybe he came here because his destiny was to live.

To find the answers to the phenomenon that had covered his world in blood. To be the last survivor of a fallen stage in time.

Maybe to be a hero in another dimension.

Hitomi shook her head and closed the book. This was all too confusing and her thoughts were getting stupid. Lifting her feet so that her knees tucked under her chin, she curled her arms around her calves and glanced out the dark window.

Rain had slowly begun to patter on the dirty glass; creating streaks of brown and gray.

* * *

The black sticky streets and high glossy buildings of the city were beyond the imagination. Despite the darkness that seems to drink every little crevice like a glass of wine, brilliant flashing lights that blasted the senses into possible epileptic seizures radiated with a florescent hum over every single store, restaurant, and brothel. Little suburb town Hitomi swallowed down her growing anxiety and tried to keep her eyes from wandering between various wildly dressed ladies in nothing but tube tops and lacy skirts that left nothing to the imagination and the equally flashy dressed males that showed a lot more _male _than she was comfortable with. Everywhere there were bright colors in a black backdrop. Even the people, black eye-shadow and heavy eyeliner with colorful pink and green eye contacts, were so unnatural looking she was beginning to wish she'd never told Van about what Yukari said.

Walking timidly down the street behind Van and Chordata, Hitomi tried to keep her breathing steady and the growing fear out of her eyes. She'd heard Joko's capital city was a palace for the party life, but she'd never imagined so much… blunt disregard for modesty.

Since they'd begun their walk from the train station on the streets of Hamatsu – Joko's capital city - several people had cat-called Chordata and whistled at Hitomi.

No one had openly approached them except for one.

"Hey, handsome prince, wanna see my _crown_ _jewels_?" One rather large-chested female swung towards them widely and her beefy arm tried to drape itself around Van's neck. He instantly ducked with the agility of a cat and the woman went scurrying across the concrete, unbalanced. Her pink streaked hair flopped over her face as she landed painfully on all fours to the ground.

"Hey, you bastard!" She called out drunkenly, tossing her wild hair out of her equally wild purple eyes. "Whatcha do that for? You made me rip my stockings! You're going to have to pay for that!"

Van kept walking, his baseball hat covering his eyes in shadow. Hitomi followed, trying to ignore the loud woman, who was beginning to bellow down the street.

"I'm talking to you! I guess I'm not what you have in mind then, huh? You like a little more _fur_ down there, eh?"

Van stopped so abruptly Hitomi painfully collided into the long hard instrument case that was strapped to his back. Chordata turned her head, her amber eyes wide with alarm. With a quick clawed arm grasped the king's jacket sleeve, the cat shook her head as Van's burning mahogany eyes laced into hers. To Hitomi's surprise, the man shook the cat's grip off and turned around to face the woman.

"She is drunk. Let her go." Chordata hissed quietly. "We do not need that kind of attention on us, Master Fanel." The cat's panicked face flicked to Hitomi for help.

"The bar is close, right?" Hitomi hurriedly chimed in, noticing Van's straight tense shoulders. He brushed her aside with a steady arm as he took a step closer to the fallen hooker.

"Van…"

"Master Fanel, please."

"I know men like you!" the lady hollered, clawing to stand up on her rocky high heels. Her knees were beginning to whelp with blood from her painful fall. Staggering to the left, she almost tripped on the curb. "You think you can just ignore me because of who I am! But you don't know the first thing about me, hun! You won't even _try_ to get to know me! I could be the best thing you've ever had, but you…" she choked on a word, her unnatural purple eyes bloodshot and piercing. Her round angry face fell and the corners of her mouth sagged slightly as she tiled head strangely. The woman took another step forward. "You think you can just ignore a part of you." She hissed. "Many people look down on me, pretty boy, many people think I am a broken person, but _you_…" she let out a loud strangled laugh as Van's mahogany eyes narrowed and zipped up and down the woman's body – reading her body language. Hitomi glanced at the cat lady and noticed her white fur rising on her neck. A crowd was beginning to grow around them. Curiously brightly-cladded individuals with faces painted various animal prints stopped toasting themselves and actually crossed the dangerously busy street to watch.

The woman laughed again, this time a nasty cackle in her throat, "_You are the one who is broken! You are the one started all of this! If you weren't here, then the world wouldn't have fallen to this horror! I would be someone important… but because you were spared, this world is poisoned._" Van stepped closer, his throat bobbing up and down with thick gulps.

"Is this all you have to say to me?" He murmured in a strained voice to her. "Keep talking."

She gave a twisted smirk, her purple eyes growing unnaturally wide. "_You know what I will say. I've told you before. All of the death, all of the pain, you are the cause because you just __**had **__to be spared._" The wild woman's eyes closed briefly before she shrieked,_ "Blame yourself! Blame this world on yourself! Blame the death of all those you love on your failures! Blame The Battle of Four Rivers on your cursed head! I hate you! You think you have a destiny, but what about __**my **__destiny! Is this what I'm supposed to be in this world? A… a tool for pleasure? I hate you…I was meant for better things than this…The only thing standing in my way in this festering life… is __**FATE**__._" She gave a stumbling bow and fell forward on her wounded knees once more. Hitomi hurried forward to help her, but Van stopped her with an arm blocking her path.

"The magic is leaving." He whispered under his breath. "She will be alright." He was so steady; his tan fingers strong and firm. Hitomi was shaking and she could hear Chordata's gasping breaths. The cold air soaked into her clothes like seeping water, chilling her body to the core.

_Magic…_

"Master Fanel, we need to get away from here." Chordata's voice quaked. The crowds circling around them were beginning to push and shove each other drunkenly.

"No," Van said determinedly, still looking down at the woman. "She has more to say. It has not let her go yet."

"_I do…_" The woman rasped with the nasty crackle back in her throat. "_Siblings… are a bitch. If love is surrender, Your Majesty..._" Her eyes flicked to focus on Hitomi's face. "..._Then whose war is it anyway...?"_

With a long exhale, her large chest heaved and her purple irises continued to pierce Hitomi's face. Grunting and cursing with a slurred voice, she stood up on her wobbly ankles and finally switched her intoxicated eyes to Van with a humorless smile. She brushed her pink hair out of her face with thick fingers. "She's too skinny for you, hun. There's more to love with me. I'm a good price and I don't bite... much."

"Let's go," the king murmured, turning around and walking away so fast the short-haired girl had trouble keeping up. Chordata fell behind as well. The two ladies began to jog to match his long-legged pace.

"Van, slow down," Hitomi panted.

"I need to make it to the tavern. I am on the right track." He turned his head to look back at her green eyes and she saw the corner of his lips curled upward outside the shelter of his navy cap. "I am on the right track at last."

Pushing her legs to match him, she grabbed his hand and successfully stopped him. As he turned towards her, she saw his reddish-brown eyes practically glowing. "What was that? What just happened? Why was she saying those things? Blaming you? I don't understand."

"You could not tell? Magic had her in its grip." He looked away from her, his gaze unfocused on something random across the street. "It has finally started leading me. Or..." his glance shifted back to Hitomi and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Do you want to start making sense sometime soon?"

"The magic must have had her-" he cut off his own sentence and instantly continued his long stroll down the street. Chordata, after looking at Hitomi for only a few ticking seconds, followed Van obediently.

The short-haired girl swallowed down her frustrated growl. It looked like they were back back to square one when it came to straight answers.

But seriously...

_Magic?_

She never heard the rest of Van's sentence, which he'd allowed himself to utter under his breath when he knew she was further away.

"The magic must have had her... because of you."

* * *

The bar was not hard to find. In fact, it was practically impossible to miss.

Even before they saw it, the music blasted so loudly it shook the very concrete beneath their feet. The three outsiders safely turned on a dead-ended road that announced an enormous bricked structure that looked like it was covered in unhealthy amounts of glitter paint and large sequences. At least ten strobe lights blasted the words MYSSTES on the walls surrounding the bar. The building itself rivaled the width of The Winged Palace. People everywhere crammed themselves in a ridiculously long line waiting to get in. Women of all races, colors, and every one of the scandalously dressed, wavered like seducing sirens outside the large, open, neon green doors. Hitomi felt her face heat up as she glanced at Van's still profile right beside her. His mahogany eyes were not focused on the enticing women, but on the building itself. She saw his shoulders rise slightly as he stared at the gaudiness with a blank face. Hitomi, on the other hand, felt a serious drop of doubt. He was so sure that they had found a lead that she'd actually felt her hope rise. Covering her face as the word MYSSTES scrawled over her eyes, she wanted to say something at least a bit comforting, but her words stuck in her throat.

"Come," He commanded over the horrendously blasting music. "I have questions."

_Let's see if this place has answers..._ Hitomi thought as they stepped onto a brick walkway painted gold and got in line behind the longest queue she'd ever seen.

And now... the waiting had begun.

* * *

**And we are in Joko! I dropped a lot of information in this chapter. I really considered continuing it, but I wanted to start fresh with this next scene. And I have another story I'm working on, so that also pressures me to drop it here. I feel as though its a decent size and I'm exactly where I planned to be in this chapter, so whatevs. lol.  
**

**I would have had more updates ready, but family tragedy and a best friend visit kept me insanely occupied these past few weeks. BUT I got a new computer and this is one I PLAN on using specifically for writing and gaming. lol. That's right! I game. What of it? Currently hooked on an MMORPG named Tera if you want to join. It's free to download. I keep getting ganked in it though. Bummer. Probably doesn't help that my character is basically a hobbit with a fluffy tail.  
**

**Well, I've got a Mardi Gras Company Party to plan, new chairs and desks to order, and a soda fridge to stock - even though it ISN'T my job to stock that nasty fridge. ugh.**

**Have a good one. See you next time. And mucho sorry about the wait on my updates. **

**Love to you all!**

**blue...**


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